INGLEWOOD — What a wild day is was during the FIFA World Cup on Monday. You saw Cape Verde play UEFA Euro 2024 champion Spain to a scoreless draw and Uruguay needing 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’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 as the lowest ranked team in FIFA (85th) 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.
Well, you can make make that four straight draws and a missed opportunity for the New Zealanders, who came so close to notching their first World Cup victory.
Elijah Just, one of the top players form the Scottish Premiership who plays for Motherwell, scored both of New Zealand’s goals.
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.
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.
Iran coach Amir 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.”
More to come on this story.