Iran stumbles against New Zealand

Iran were held to a 2-2 draw by New Zealand in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup group stage on Tuesday morning. The match, played at Los Angeles Stadium, was a closely contested affair, with both teams exchanging periods of dominance. Iran appeared to be the better side for much of the second half. Despite a strong start from Iran, New Zealand struck early when Elijah Just opened the scoring in the seventh minute, capitalizing on a pass from Chris Wood to fire a powerful shot from inside the penalty area into the net. Iran responded in the 32nd minute through Ramin Rezaeian, who leveled the score after a well-worked move, finishing with a first-time shot. Iran nearly took the lead before halftime when they found the net again, but the goal was disallowed for offside. As the second half began, New Zealand repeated their opening-day performance, with Elijah Just restoring their lead in the 55th minute after a brilliant exchange with Chris Wood, scoring his second goal of the match. However, Iran's response was swift. Mohammad Mohebi leveled the score in the 65th minute, rising to meet a perfectly placed cross and powerfully heading it into the top right corner of the New Zealand goalkeeper's net. Both teams had to settle for a single point each in their opening World Cup match, as the thrilling encounter ended in a 2-2 draw, a result that leaves all possibilities open ahead of the remaining group stage matches.