New Zealand have been denied a history-making first World Cup victory, forced to settle for a thrilling 2-2 draw against Iran in a match that was initially overshadowed by political debate. The Kiwis, who are the lowest-ranked nation in the tournament at world No. 85, took a shock lead through Elijah Just in the seventh minute after being played through by captain Chris Wood.
Iran fights back
Iranian captain Mehdi Taremi hit the post in the 23rd minute, but his team levelled in the 32nd after Ramin Rezaeian collected a loose ball and fired it into the net. Iran thought they had taken the lead before the break, but Ali Nemati’s goal was ruled out for offside.
New Zealand retakes lead
It was New Zealand, however, who struck first in the second half, with Just linking up once more with Wood to complete his brace. But the Iranians equalised again thanks to Mohammad Mohebbi in the 64th minute. Both sides kept the pressure on in an open game until the final whistle, but the teams eventually had to settle for a point each.
World Cup context
New Zealand are competing in only their third World Cup, their first since 2010, and are still seeking a first win in the tournament. Iran were one of the first teams to qualify for the event in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the nation’s conflict with the US and Israel cast doubt over their participation. At one point it was even unclear whether Iran would be permitted to play their three group-stage matches in the US. Amid ongoing issues over visas and entry to the US, the national team moved their base from Arizona to Mexico to avoid further problems.
Group standings
New Zealand top Group G standings ahead of Iran, but both are level on one point with Belgium and Egypt, who played out a 1-1 draw earlier. There were also two other draws on Tuesday, with Uruguay salvaging a 1-1 result against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde holding Spain to a shock scoreless draw.
Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia
Maxi Araujo rescued a point for Uruguay, denying Saudi Arabia another famous World Cup win. The Saudis, who shocked eventual winners Argentina in their opener at the last instalment in Qatar, went ahead through Abdulelah Al-Amri in the first half on Monday (Tuesday AEST), but came under sustained pressure late on and failed to hold out against the two-time winners. Federico Vinas saw his header saved by Mohammed Al-Owais after 30 minutes, but that was the highlight of a tepid first-half display from Uruguay. The South Americans had already had one warning from a set-piece in the 38th minute when Al-Amri connected with a corner and forced Fernando Muslera into a fine save. Three minutes later, centre-back Al-Amri opened the scoring as he reacted quickest to turn in the rebound after Muslera had kept out Mohamed Kanno’s header. Vinas forced another save out of Al-Owais before the break, and Uruguay dominated possession after the interval, with Manuel Ugarte hitting the post with a low effort from distance after an hour. The pressure finally told with 10 minutes remaining as Araujo steered home an equaliser from close range after Vinas’ header had been saved by Al-Owais. Substitute Brian Rodriguez curled an effort wide from the edge of the box as Uruguay sought a winner, and Al-Owais made excellent saves from Nicolas de la Cruz and Federico Valverde in added time.
