Courtois Equals Record as Belgium Share Points With Iran
Belgium were forced to settle for a goalless draw against IR Iran in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G clash at Los Angeles Stadium, despite dominating possession and creating several chances.
The Red Devils finished the match with ten men after Nathan Ngoy was sent off in the second half, while both goalkeepers delivered standout performances.
Belgium began the encounter without Jeremy Doku, sidelined by illness, but welcomed Romelu Lukaku back to the starting lineup for his first appearance since June last year.
Rudi Garcia’s side pressed forward with crosses and cutbacks, yet the closest they came to an early breakthrough was a near-post strike from Youri Tielemans, which Alireza Beiranvand saved smartly.
Iran, under Amir Ghalenoei, sat deep and relied on defensive resilience and Beiranvand’s reflexes. They nearly stunned Belgium midway through the first half when Mehdi Taremi finished off a clever free-kick routine, only to be ruled offside.
Courtois, meanwhile, was called into action to deny Hossein Kanani’s shot from a long throw, and later produced another fine save from a powerful Taremi volley.
Belgium’s hopes of victory were further dented after 66 minutes when Ngoy was dismissed for pulling down Taremi following a miscontrol.
Despite the numerical advantage, Iran could not capitalize, with Beiranvand twice denying Maxim De Cuyper to preserve the stalemate.
The result leaves both sides on two points from their opening two matches, still searching for their first win of the tournament.
Belgium sit second in Group G behind Iran, while New Zealand and Egypt each have one point after their opening fixtures.
