Belgium’s hopes of progressing from the FIFA World Cup group stage suffered a setback after a frustrating 0-0 draw against a determined Iran side in Los Angeles.
Despite dominating possession and fielding stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the Red Devils struggled to break down Iran’s disciplined defence.
Iran came closest to scoring through Mehdi Taremi, whose first-half effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Belgium’s problems worsened in the second half when defender Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card for bringing down Taremi after a costly mistake.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several important saves to keep Belgium in the game as Iran continued to threaten on the counterattack.
The result leaves Group G wide open, with Belgium now needing a positive result against New Zealand to keep their World Cup campaign alive.
