A dramatic finale in Seattle sees Egypt survive a late scare to finish second in Group G and set up a Round of 32 clash with Australia. Iran are left hoping four points will be enough to advance among the best third-placed teams.
Egypt are through to the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history, but they needed a little help from the Video Assistant Referee to get there.
At a vibrant Lumen Field in Seattle, the Pharaohs and Iran played out an entertaining 1-1 draw that nearly turned into heartbreak for Mohamed Salah and company. Hosam Hassan’s side appeared to have done enough to secure second place in Group G, only for Hossein Khalilzadeh to find the net deep into stoppage time. Iranian celebrations were cut short moments later, however, as VAR detected an offside by the narrowest of margins.
Egypt had started brightly and broke the deadlock after just five minutes. Mohamed Salah’s effort forced an erratic intervention from Alireza Beiranvand, allowing Mahmoud Saber to arrive from midfield and slot home the rebound.
Iran reacted immediately and nearly equalized from the penalty spot when Mehdi Taremi won and took a spot-kick, but his attempt was brilliantly saved by Mostafa Shobeir. The Persians remained aggressive and found their reward in the 14th minute. Following another excellent save from the Egyptian goalkeeper, veteran wing-back Ramin Rezaeian was quickest to react, turning the loose ball into the net.
Amir Ghalenoei’s side continued to look dangerous, with Taremi dropping deep and orchestrating attacks, while Rezaeian constantly pushed forward from the right flank. Egypt gradually regained control after the interval, especially following the introduction of Omar Marmoush, whose direct running injected new life into the attack.
The biggest concern for the Pharaohs arrived shortly after the hour mark when Salah limped off with an apparent thigh problem, forcing Hosam Hassan to reshuffle his team. Even so, Egypt continued to create chances, while Iran retreated into a more cautious approach, relying on counterattacks and set pieces.
Then came a breathtaking finale. In the third minute of added time, Khalilzadeh bundled the ball home from a crowded penalty area, seemingly sending Iran into the Round of 32. The goal was eventually ruled out after a lengthy VAR review, with the defender judged to be marginally offside. Seconds later, Saeid Ezatolahi crashed a shot against the crossbar, missing by inches what would have been a historic winner.
Egypt survive, finishing second behind Belgium and earning a meeting with Australia in the Round of 32. Iran, unbeaten but unfortunate, close the group stage with four points and now face an anxious wait to discover whether they will progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Match Report
Egypt 1-1 Iran
Scorers: 5′ Saber, 14′ Rezaeian
Egypt (4-2-3-1): Shobeir; Hany, Rabia (14′ Yasser Ibrahim), Abdelmoneim (76′ Hamza Abdelkarim), Fatouh; Lashin, Ashour (45′ Marawan Attia); Ziko (76′ Zizo), Saber (45′ Marmoush), Trezeguet (57′ Mohamed El Shenawy); Salah.
Coach: Hossam Hassan
Iran (5-4-1): Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Kanani (45′ Saleh Hardani), Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi; Mohebbi (90’+1 Alireza Jahanbakhsh), Ezatolahi, Ghorbani, Ghoddos (67′ Shahryar Moghanlou); Taremi.
Coach: Amir Ghalenoei
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Booked: Saber, Yasser Ibrahim, Lashin (Egypt); Kanani, Nemati, Khalilzadeh, Ezatolahi (Iran)
Notable incident: Khalilzadeh scored in the 93rd minute, but the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside.
Group G Final Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 | Egypt | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | Iran | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 0 |
Qualified: Belgium (1st), Egypt (2nd)
Waiting among best third-placed teams: Iran
Eliminated: New Zealand
