VAR overturns Iran goal as Belgium escape early World Cup scare

Belgium survived an early scare at the FIFA World Cup as Mehdi Taremi's goal was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee. The Iranian striker had capitalized on a rehearsed free-kick routine to beat Thibaut Courtois, but VAR intervened to disallow the goal. The decision came after a tight offside margin of around ten centimeters. Iran created the first major chance of the match when Saman Gholizadeh Kanaani broke free but was denied by a stunning save from Courtois. The Belgian goalkeeper also made a crucial intervention from Kevin De Bruyne's effort, palming the ball away. Belgium, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm in the opening exchanges, with Romelu Lukaku nearly being caught offside by Tielemans.

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Aron Doku forced a save from Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand early on, while Tielemans and De Bruyne both saw efforts blocked as Belgium searched for an opening. The Red Devils nearly took the lead when Johan Bakayoko played a low cross to De Bruyne, whose shot was blocked by Beiranvand. The rebound fell to Charles De Ketelaere, but his effort was cleared off the line by Ezatolahi.

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Belgium dominated possession but struggled to break down Iran's defensive block. Taremi remained isolated as the lone striker, while the Iranian midfield crowded out De Bruyne and Tielemans. The Red Devils will need to improve their finishing if they are to secure a first World Cup victory in Los Angeles.