In what was arguably the most entertaining game of the tournament so far, Iran showed resilience to secure a point against New Zealand despite a chaotic backdrop to their World Cup preparations, Softfootball reports.
New Zealand struck first in the seventh minute when Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood linked up with Motherwell forward Elijah Just, who volleyed past Alireza Beiranvand. Iran responded through Ramin Rezaeian, but Just restored New Zealand’s lead early in the second half with another well-worked move alongside Wood.
Mohammad Mohebbi then equalised to ensure Iran avoided defeat, keeping Group G finely balanced with all four teams — Spain, Cabo Verde, Iran, and New Zealand — on one point after their opening fixtures.
Player Ratings
Iran
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Alireza Beiranvand | 5.8 |
| Ramin Rezaeian | 8.8 |
| Shoja Khalilzadeh | 6.4 |
| Voria Nemati | 6.7 |
| Milad Mohammadi | 5.9 |
| Mohammad Mohebbi | 8.2 |
| Saman Ghoddos | 7.2 |
| Saeid Ezatolahi | 6.9 |
| Aria Yousefi | 6.6 |
| Shahriar Moghanlou | 7.2 |
| Mehdi Taremi | 7.4 |
| Subs: Mehdi Ghayedi (6.1), Ali Alipour (6.1), Ehsan Haji Safi (6.1), Mehdi Hosseinzadeh (6.3) |
New Zealand
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Max Crocombe | 5.7 |
| Tim Payne | 6.3 |
| Michael Boxall | 6.4 |
| Sam Surman | 7.2 |
| Liberato Cacace | 6.4 |
| Marko Stamenic | 6.5 |
| Joe Bell | 6.8 |
| Callum McCowatt | 7.2 |
| Sarpreet Singh | 7.1 |
| Elijah Just | 9.1 |
| Chris Wood | 8.3 |
| Subs: Nando Pijnaker Old (5.9), Michael Thomas (5.9), Ben Elliot (6.3), Finn Bindon (6.0), Kaleb Randall (6.2) |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Iran | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Total Shots | 14 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 4 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.72 | 1.48 |
| Fouls Committed | 12 | 14 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Corners | 6 | 4 |
| Saves | 2 | 3 |
