Iran rallies to salvage a draw with New Zealand in World Cup opener

INGLEWOOD — What a wild day is was during the FIFA World Cup on Monday. Cape Verde played UEFA Euro 2024 champion Spain to a scoreless draw and Uruguay needed to score late to salvage a 1-1 tie with Saudi Arabia.

You can add New Zealand to the day of surprises too, managing an entertaining 2-2 draw with Iran in Monday night’s Group G opener in front of 70,108 at Los Angeles Stadium.

New Zealand had Iran on the ropes, taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before settling for the tie on a historic day that produced four ties on the same day for the first time in World Cup history. In the other Group G match, Belgium tied Egypt, 1-1, leaving all four teams tied in group play after round one.

The All Whites came into the tournament with the lowest FIFA ranking (85th) in the 48-team field, searching for their first victory ever after two previous trips to the World Cup, with their last appearance in 2010.

Although New Zealand has never won a World Cup match, it is remembered for being the only team in the 2010 World Cup to finish undefeated. It finished with three ties and missed the knockout round.

Make that four straight draws and a missed opportunity for the New Zealanders, who came so close to notching their first World Cup victory on Monday.

“We came here to win,” New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley said. “We were so close to making history. We haven’t won a game in a World Cup and we were so close to doing that today. It hurts because the game is now finished. We got a point, we didn’t lose the game. We’re in the tournament and you see the table, all four teams are in it. But it gets tougher, we still have two good teams to play against.”

Elijah Just, one of the top players form the Scottish Premiership who plays for Motherwell, scored both of New Zealand’s goals.

“I thought he was outstanding today,” Bazeley said of Just. “It didn’t surprise me, I’ve known him for a long time. This year, he’s had an outstanding year for Motherwell. He brought that with him and showed the world how dangerous he can be. He’s slight built, but he gets into pockets, he gets turned and he’s quick. I think a lot of people watching today saw he’s a good player. He’s building his career and this will probably help him a lot.”

Bazeley said he was watching the earlier games, and noted the pattern happening with the shocking results.

“We spent all day watching football,” Bazeley said. “Today has been that day. I felt watching those other games, today was the day for the lesser-ranked teams to beat these higher-ranked teams. I think in world football it’s leveling. Every team at the World Cup has a threat and they’re going to have moments. That’s the challenge, somebody has to have a moment on the world stage. (Just) had two and that’s going to live forever for him.”

New Zealand countered some early chances from Iran by putting away its first chance in the seventh minute.

Nottingham Forrest striker Chris Wood played a huge part in the build up. Wood played a short ball to Just, who touched it to Sarpreet Singh just outside the penalty area straightaway. Singh chipped it forward to Wood, who left it off for Just who kept darting toward the goal. Just settled it with his left and finished with his right to give New Zealand the early lead.

Iran leveled the match in the 32nd minute, getting the equalizer from Ramin Rezaeian, who showed his experience from having played in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

New Zealand defender Finn Surman tackled a ball away from Iran’s Shahriyar Moghanloo, and Rezaeian was there to run on to it, flicking it past New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe to make it 1-1.

Rezaeian has always been a dangerous player. He also scored a memorable injury-time goal during a 2-0 victory over Wales in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Iran nearly took the lead during first-half stoppage time, but Ali Nemati was ruled offside after heading home a free kick into the box, leaving the match even at the break.

New Zealand went back in front in the 54th minute.

The goal started after Iran lost possession. Singh played a ball forward to Just, who worked a perfect give-and-go with Wood, getting it back deep inside the penalty area before tucking it away for a 2-1 lead.

The lead didn’t last long.

Iranian’s Mohammad Mohebbi finished a brilliant cross from Rezaiean in the 64th minute, heading home the equalizer with a well-placed header at the 6-yard box to make it 2-2.

The draw was an even bigger missed opportunity for Iran, which is making its fourth straight World Cup appearance and seventh overall. Iran has won a match in its past two group stages, beating Morocco, 1-0, in 2018, and handing Wales a 2-0 defeat in Qatar in 2022.

But Iran, like New Zealand, has never reached the knockout round, and a victory over New Zealand would have put the team in prime position to do so.

Iran will go into its final two games with Belgium on Sunday in Los Angeles, and against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle needing a better outcome if it hopes to change its fortune of coming up short of the knockout phase.

Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei thought his team played well battling back twice. He complained that due to the ongoing conflict with the U.S., that his team had to fly back to Tijuana tonight instead of staying in Los Angeles.

“Despite the circumstances and because of what we have been going through I think our players were very dynamic and they showed a lot of physical strength, but they suffered a lot of fatigue because of the traveling,” Ghalenoei said. “We managed to come back twice, and I think the atmosphere in the stadium gave us energy.”

Ghalenoei continued to stress that his team is playing under circumstances other teams are not dealing with.

“We have spent so much time commuting, they didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei continued. “They told us you have to leave immediately. They asked us to get on a plane and return to Tijuana.

“The Mexican people, the Mexican government, especially in Tijuana, they have made us feel at home. We really weren’t home sick because they made us feel at home. They gave us energy and we actually missed them. We preferred going back tomorrow. It’s not ideal to go back this evening, but we look forward to going back to the good Mexican people.”

New Zealand leaves for Vancouver for its next two group matches. It takes on Egypt on Sunday, followed by Belgium on June 26.

Iran and New Zealand met on Monday for only the third time in history and the first since 2003, though both previous matches were just exhibitions. They also met in 1973.

Iran was met before Monday’s game with protesters outside the stadium showing their displeasure with the current Iranian regime.

Ghalenoei told reporters during a pre-game press conference that they were not here to talk about the political distractions of playing in a host country that they have been at war with since February, but instead provide some comfort and joy to the Iranian people back at home, and to the Iranian people who were in Los Angeles to support them during Monday’s match.

“I want to let you know that we are here to play football,” Ghalenoei said. “We are not political people, we came here to play soccer. I believe that football can bring everyone together at any time. Iran has been a united nation, both within Iran and abroad. We want to show unity. We came to the World Cup to bring joy to the Iranian people.”