Mahmoud Saber opened the scoring for Egypt before the dramatic draw featured a missed penalty from Iran<\/a> then an equaliser soon after, though the physical contest truly came alive in the dying stages.<\/p>\n First Iran striker Mehdi Taremi had a header that hit the bar in the 89th minute, then a goal from Shoja Khalilzadeh was ruled out by VAR three minutes into stoppage time.<\/p>\n There was still time for another Iranian near-miss as the clock ticked down, when Saeid Ezatolahi hit the crossbar with a header.<\/p>\n An Iran victory would have secured them second place in the group and a last 32 showdown with Australia, their Asian confederation rivals and the nation they defeated in the memorable World Cup<\/a> qualifier at the MCG in 1997.<\/p>\n Despite the frustration in the match\u2019s late stages, Iran are within touching distance of reaching the last 32<\/a> as a third-placed qualifier after their three group stage draws.<\/p>\n For a moment on Friday, the Socceroos were due to face Belgium, as Egypt \u2013 who went into the final fixtures on top of the group \u2013 appeared to have done enough to secure the top spot.<\/p>\n With Egypt struggling to overcome Iran, Belgium began to rack up the goals<\/a> against New Zealand, ultimately winning the match 5-1<\/a> and securing top spot in the group on goal difference of plus-four. Egypt finished second, on the same five points, but with a goal difference of plus-two.<\/p>\n
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