Belgium vs Iran: Winners & losers - Beiranvand stands tall in goalless stalemate

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·21 June 2026

Belgium vs Iran: Winners & losers - Beiranvand stands tall in goalless stalemate

Belgium dominated possession and created numerous clear chances against Iran but were denied repeatedly by exceptional goalkeeping in a frustrating 0-0 World Cup draw. Nathan Ngoy's straight red card at 66 minutes compounded the favourites' woes as they left Los Angeles with just a point. GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Belgium v Iran.

Winners

Alireza Beiranvand (Iran)

Alireza Beiranvand delivered a career-defining display that single-handedly earned Iran their point against Belgium. The goalkeeper made seven saves across the 90 minutes, including at least three from clear chances, frustrating the heavily-favoured Europeans at every turn.

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His finest moments came against Maxim De Cuyper. In the 60th minute, Beiranvand produced an exceptional left-handed stop at point-blank range inside the six-yard box when a goal seemed certain. He repeated the heroics in the 86th minute with another spectacular save from the same player, while earlier parrying Youri Tielemans' powerful drive in the 22nd minute.

Without Beiranvand's excellence, Iran would have been beaten comfortably by a Belgian side that dominated territorially throughout. His performance transformed what should have been a straightforward victory for the favourites into a valuable point, keeping Iran's World Cup hopes alive heading into the final group match.

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Thibaut Courtois ensured Belgium remained level when Iran threatened on the counter. The goalkeeper matched his opposite number's excellence with three significant saves that prevented the Group G favourites from falling behind against a team they were expected to beat comfortably.

Courtois produced an excellent point-blank stop to deny Hossein Kanaani from around the penalty spot in the 15th minute after a set-piece scramble. In the 53rd minute, he dived superbly to his right to keep out Mehdi Taremi's first-time volley. He also dealt with Saeed Ezatolahi's effort from distance in the 82nd minute with a composed two-phase save.

Had Courtois not equalled Beiranvand's shot-stopping, Belgium would have faced the nightmare scenario of trailing against Iran. His interventions ensured the Red Devils at least secured a point from a frustrating evening, keeping their qualification destiny in their own hands for the final group match.

Loser

Nathan Ngoy (Belgium)

Nathan Ngoy's evening was defined by one catastrophic moment that fundamentally changed the match. The defender received a straight red card in the 66th minute for a professional foul as the last man, reducing Belgium to ten players for the final quarter of the contest.

The incident occurred when Ngoy miscontrolled a backpass, his right foot catching his left and producing a weak pass that left Mehdi Taremi clean through on goal. With nobody between Taremi and Courtois, Ngoy had no option but to bring down the Iranian striker, resulting in his dismissal.

The red card forced Belgium to sacrifice Romelu Lukaku for defender Arthur Theate and abandon any attacking ambition. Iran immediately enjoyed more possession and territory than at any previous stage, while Belgium's hopes of finding a winner evaporated. Ngoy's error transformed a frustrating stalemate into a damage-limitation exercise.