Belgium Vs Iran: Ten-Man Belgium Hold Iran to Gritty 0-0 Draw After Ngoy Red Card

Nathan Ngoy’s straight red card in the 66th minute left Belgium shorthanded, but Iran could not break through despite the numerical advantage as Group G remains perfectly balanced.

Belgium and Iran played out a gritty 0-0 draw at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with Nathan Ngoy’s second-half red card leaving the Red Devils shorthanded for the final 25 minutes as both teams remained level on two points in Group G.

Following opening-round draws for both teams, this match was a highly anticipated tactical battle to break the deadlock in the tournament’s tightest group. Belgium controlled early possession with 68 percent but struggled heavily to pierce Iran’s disciplined low defensive block.

The game flipped completely in the 66th minute when young Belgian centre-back Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card after miskicking a backpass and hauling down Mehdi Taremi to prevent a clear breakaway scoring chance. Despite the numerical advantage for the final 25 minutes, Iran could not find a way past Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium finished with 22 shots, seven on target, while Iran managed seven shots, three on target. Belgian passing accuracy stood at 88 percent compared to Iran’s 73 percent. The result marks Belgium’s third consecutive World Cup match without a victory, their longest winless streak since 2002.

The star-studded Red Devils have yet to score a goal of their own making in this tournament, with their lone goal in the opening 1-1 draw against Egypt coming via an own goal. Romelu Lukaku was booked in the third minute for a heavy aerial challenge, and Iran had a beautiful set-piece goal from Taremi disallowed by VAR for a marginal offside in the 26th minute.

According to a report by Accra Street Journal, the stalemate means Group G remains perfectly balanced. All four teams—Belgium, Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand—now have two points each from two matches, with identical goal differences. The final matchday will be a straight winner-takes-all battle for knockout qualification.

The match marked the first-ever official competitive meeting between Belgium and Iran in senior international football history. Jérémy Doku missed the match completely due to illness.

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Confirmed Lineups & Formations

Belgium (Formation: 4-2-3-1) 

• • Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
  • Defenders: Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper
  • Holding Midfielders: Youri Tielemans, Nicolas Raskin
  • Attacking Midfielders: Alexis Saelemaekers, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard
  • Striker: Romelu Lukaku
  • Changes: Romelu Lukaku, Maxim De Cuyper, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Nicolas Raskin all come into the starting XI. Amadou Onana and Charles De Ketelaere are benched, Timothy Castagne is rested for yellow card management, and Jérémy Doku is unavailable. 

Iran (Formation: 5-4-1)

• Goalkeeper: Alireza Beiranvand
• Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian, Juriën Gaari, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Hossein Kanaani, Ehsan Hajsafi
• Midfielders: Aria Yousefi, Mohammad Mohebi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Siamak Nemati
• Striker: Mehdi Taremi (Captain)
• Changes: Iran makes three adjustments from their 2-2 draw with New Zealand. Ehsan Hajsafi, Aria Yousefi, and Hossein Kanaani step into the starting lineup. Star midfielder Saman Ghoddos is completely out of the XI after suffering an ankle injury.

Source: Accra Street Journal 

Last Updated on June 22, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu

Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.

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