Los Angeles, June 16: In an exhilarating opening match of Group ‘G’ at the Los Angeles Stadium, Iran and New Zealand battled to a 2-2 draw on Monday. Iran made a remarkable comeback twice, preventing New Zealand from securing their first FIFA World Cup victory.
Ramin Rezaein played a pivotal role, scoring Iran’s first goal and assisting in the equalizer. For New Zealand, Eliza Just netted two goals with help from Chris Wood, giving the All Whites a brief lead on two occasions. However, they had to settle for just one point in the end.
The match kicked off with excitement as Mehdi Taremi’s shot was saved by Max Crocombe. Shortly after, Eliza Just scored a powerful low shot, putting New Zealand ahead. Wood assisted in the first goal and soon created another opportunity, passing to Sarpreet Singh, whose shot was narrowly saved by Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Iran attempted to respond, with Taremi hitting the post with a 20-yard shot just before the first water break. The break seemed to benefit Iran, who returned with renewed energy and quickly equalized. Rezaein broke through the defense and calmly scored, leveling the match at 1-1.
In the second half, New Zealand regained the lead when Wood passed to Just, who executed a stunning shot over the advancing Beiranvand.
However, Iran was quick to respond again. Rezaein, the scorer of the first goal, delivered a brilliant cross to Mohammad Mohebbi, who headed the ball into the net, hitting the post in the process. In the final minutes, neither team could find the winning goal, with Wood’s header in stoppage time going straight to the goalkeeper.
New Zealand’s quest for their first World Cup win continues on June 22 against Egypt, while Iran will face Belgium.
This thrilling encounter in Los Angeles marked the fourth draw of the day, which began with Cape Verde holding a strong team like Spain to a stalemate.
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