A result that neither team should love or hate

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It was a result that neither side found acceptable. But given the circumstances, both Iran and Belgium should feel fortunate to have earned a point in their Group G match Sunday at SoFi Stadium and keep alive their World Cup dream of advancing to the knockout stage.

The Belgians were forced to play one man shy after Nathan Ngoy was shown a direct red card in the 66th minute after he deliberately held Mehdi Taremi, Iran’s star striker, from getting into the clear. Yet, the Red Devils had the better of play for most of the match and had a couple of great opportunities late.

For the Iranians, who fought bravely over the course of the match, their frustration over failing to capitalize on Belgium’s misfortune will no doubt haunt them as they attempt to extend their stay here.

Ultimately, it was both goalkeepers who were the heroes on the SoFi pitch. Alireza Beiranvand took an early knock that had him reeling for a few minutes before he regained his bearings and turned in a superb performance. He made seven saves, perhaps the best coming in the 59th minute when he denied Maxim De Cuyper from in close while already prone on the turf.

At the other end, Thibaut Courtois wasn’t quite as busy. But he also come through with a couple of clutch stops. His best of the three saves he was credited for came in the 52nd minute when Taremi was loose in the box and hammered a full volley with his right foot from 12 yards away. Courtois was in position and was able to make the save.

“I think in general we played a good game,” Courtois said in the post-match mixed zone. “We had enough chances to score but we didn’t score. Their goalkeeper played a very good game. They had a few chances.

“If you don’t score, it’s always like this. So there’s a lot of pressure and we have to win (vs. New Zealand).”

Iran’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh said of the tie: “I think it’s a bittersweet feeling. Before the game, we knew what to expect. We have a lot of respect for Belgium and all the good players they have.

“The feeling inside the dressing room is that we could have even got more than we get today. That aside, we are very, very happy with the performance of the team. We showed great team spirit even though we’ve probably said enough about the situation we are in. I think we showed how united we are.”
 
By now, you are well aware of the travails that Team Melli have dealt with during their World Cup stay. They were booted from their Tucson, Ariz., training camp and forced to relocate to Tijuana. Then, they were unable to settle in for their matches in Los Angeles and had to come in, play their match then head right back to Mexico.

They were granted a reprieve of sorts for their upcoming match with Egypt in Seattle next week. The team will be allowed to arrive two days ahead. Still, it is uneven footing and this is where sport and politics intersect. The Iranians have been treated differently from the other 47 competing countries and when the players tell you they’re here for football, not politics, you probably can take them at their word, though who knows what their minders are telling them.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why don’t these guys just defect to the U.S.? The State Department isn’t about to grant asylum to anyone within the Iran traveling party. Technically, we’re still at war with Iran even if the White House says we aren’t. Every day there’s some sort of flare-up in the region that brings with it pause for concern that the recently announced ceasefire is worth as much as the Munich agreement signed in 1938.

Sunday, they played a spirited match against a Belgium side that dominated and controlled play for most of the time. A goal in the 25th minute from Taremi was taken off the board after VAR determined the Iranians were offsides. But it must’ve felt on the Iran bench that the entire world was conspiring against it.

So was much of the crowd of 70,313 that had come to support Iran inside SoFi. There’s no doubt that many inside the stadium supporting Team Melli did so with conflict in their souls. They despise the current government but are supportive of the players representing their homeland. It can’t be easy for those fans. But credit to them for showing up and bringing their joy and energy to be part of this World Cup. I’m sure the Iranian players appreciate the support since their fans from back home were denied visas to attend in person, leaving it to the diaspora to carry the day, albeit under the old flag, which was banned from being displayed inside SoFi but somehow many of the old flag was on display..

For the Belgians and their supporters, no such issues existed. They carried on merrily from before they opened the gates, marching to the stadium together, singing, chanting, banging drums and raising a good-natured ruckus. No doubt they were hoping that their appearance would help change the fortunes of midfielder Kevin Du Bruyne, who had a snakebit day of it in Seattle vs. Egypt Monday and whose run of bad luck continued when he had a great look early on only to be denied by Iran’s five-man back line.

“You have to put it behind you and think about the present,” Courtois said of moving on and getting ready for the Kiwis on Friday in Vancouver. “You have to learn from what we didn’t do well (Sunday).”

For Iran, there are a lot of positive vibes moving forward as it heads to Seattle and a do-or-die showdown with the Egyptians.

“We’ve played two games and we’ve had two draws,” said Beiranvand. “It shows a lot of character to our side. We haven’t lost yet and we have everything to play for in the last game and if we play like we did (Sunday), we have a good chance to go through.”