Key events<\/p>\n
45+5 min Nice from Belgium<\/a>, Ngoy punching a pass seeking Saelemaekers, cunningly touched into his path by Meunier. But as he nashes into space down the right, the flag goes up for offside, and Iran will shortly be halfway there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45+3 min If they can refrain from conceding in the next five minutes, Iran can be very pleased with their first-half efforts. As I type, Belgium<\/a> go again with a pass into Lukaku, on the edge, who does well to turn and beat one challenge. But as he tries to bundle though a second, Kanani, Ezatolahi and Nemati gang up and crowd him out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45+1 min We\u2019ll have eight additional minutes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min \u201cThe letter of the law was upheld on Taremi\u2019s strike, but surely not the spirit of the law,\u201d reckons Stefan Martens.. If only Arsene Wenger\u2019s daylight offside rule, as piloted right now in the Canadian Premier League, were in effect here, we\u2019d have been treated to a delightful goal.<\/p>\n Still, if Fifa can invent a peace prize to give to Donald Trump, I demand an award for best moment at the World Cup<\/a>. In that case, Iran\u2019s free kick would certainly be in the running (alongside my other main candidate, Behruzjon Karimov\u2019s thunderstrike against Colombia).\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t agree with this \u2013 I loved the idea and execution, but it needed to be perfect and wasn\u2019t. More generally, I think Wenger\u2019s innovation gives the attacker too much of an advantage \u2013 I want the game to be balanced more than I want to see more goals.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.47 EDT<\/p>\n 44 min Tielemans in behind for De Cuyper, whose instashot is drilled hard \u2026 and intro Beiranvad\u2019s chest. Then, when Belgium<\/a> go again, Saelemaekers\u2019 shot is blocked by Hajisafi.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 42 min De Cuyper, out on the touchline, rips a terrific pass over the top for De Bruyne, attacking the space in behind for the first time. He doesn\u2019t quite track it over his shoulder, though, waving a toe at it and conceding a goalkick.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 40 min \u201cRobson-Kanu!!\u201d screams Matt Dony. \u201cTurns out scoring beautiful goals on the turn against Belgium<\/a> at major tournaments isn\u2019t for everyone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I love the name Robson-Kanu on the basis a chimera of Bryan and Nwankwo might be my favourite combination of any two players I could possibly think of.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 39 min De Bruyne allows De Cuyper to take it, and Iran<\/a> clear his delivery easily enough.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 38 min De Bruyne hurdles by Hajisafi, who manages to bring him down anyway. Free-kick Belgium<\/a>, 25 yards out, left of centre.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 37 min Iran, I think, did well for the break to come when it did, Belgium<\/a> forced to get themselves going again. Their defensive discipline has been good so far.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 35 min Duncan McQueen reckons Andy Cole is a prolific striker with dodgy finishing, a suggestion I couldn\u2019t agree with less. An absolutely brilliant finisher \u2013 41 goals in 93-94, when he was mainly a one-touch merchant, but by the time he bagged 24 in 98-99 and 22 in 99-00, he was scoring goals only he could \u2013 in the second of those, he managed three overhead kicks before Xmas.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 33 min Tielemans allows the ball to run past him, turning Ezatolahi in the process \u2026 who pulls him back and is booked.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 31 min Tell you what, though, in the UK this is rapidly becoming Emma Hayes time, and she shows us that Meunier is inverting to allow an extra man on the last line. Then, showing here growing confidence in doing her own thing, she thanks her dad on Father\u2019s Day for giving her the confidence to do what she does, turning around to reveal the words \u201cSHE\u2019LL CHANGE THE WORLD\u201d on the back of her top. She is brilliant.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 30 min Just as I\u2019m checking they\u2019ve not cancelled the ad breaks without telling me, the ref blows for one. The roof is on, the aircon likewise.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 29 min Shock survived, Belgium<\/a> are right back on to the attack, Meunier crossing from the right seeking Lukaku, and Beiranvand claiming confidently.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>NO GOAL! Belgium 0-0 Iran<\/p>\n Open and shut, I\u2019m afraid \u2013 the goal, that is \u2013 and a beautiful piece of imagination and preparation is for nowt.<\/p>\n Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (1) fails to save a shot from Iran\u2019s Mehdi Taremi but the goal was disallowed. Photograph: Mark J Terrill\/APTaremi reacts. Photograph: Dirk Waem\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.51 EDT<\/p>\n 26 min But was Taremi offside? Back to goal, I fear his buttocks have let him down.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WHAT A GOAL! Belgium 0-1 Ian (Taremi 25)<\/p>\n WHAT A MOMENT! Hajidsafi makes to curl a blockbuster but pulls his foot at the last millisecond, instead caressing a delicate pass down the side of the wall and through the heart of the Belgium<\/a> defence. But there\u2019s still graft to graft and lots of it, Taremi\u2019s trap-and-turn perfectly executed, the care he takes over the touch reminiscent of Undav\u2019s yesterday, then he turns and drags a finish into the corner! Iran lead, and that is unreal conduct!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 24 min Rezaeian manages to direct the ball into Raskin\u2019s hand \u2013 not enough for a free-kick, in mine, but the ref gives on and Iran<\/a> have a free-kick 25 yards out\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 22 min And here come Belgium<\/a> again, Tielemans picked out on the left side of the box. He shoots with his laces, but Beirenvand shoves around the near post for a corner \u2026 which comes to nowt.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min Again, Belgium<\/a> have Iran boxed, and they\u2019re trying to pop the ball about quickly, combination play one of the main ways low blocks are deconstructed. The power on the passes has been a little too much so far, but that\u2019s the side on which to err \u2013 when played well, the pace allows the recipient to use it to shift and shoot.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min “\u201cStarting with Lukaku is a bad idea, reckons Krisnamoorthy V. \u201cHe is likely to now earn a 2nd yellow card and leave Belgium<\/a> to play with 10 men. Lukaku is a super sub and that\u2019s what his role should be. If he makes it to half-time without another yellow , the wisest thing would be to bring him off.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure about that \u2013 he\u2019s not someone i associate with ill discipline. Ill finishing, for sure \u2013 I can\u2019t think of anyone as prolific whose goalscoring I believe in less \u2013 but I don\u2019t expect him to let his team down by getting himself dismissed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 17 min Tielemans tries a pass through the middle, seeking to meet Lukaku\u2019s run, but puts just too much on it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 15 min Rezaeian\u2019s corner is a goodun too, picking out Ezatolahi at the back post \u2026 but he can only head wide of it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min But here come Iran<\/a>, Lukaku heading clear Taremi\u2019s cross, but Iran sustain the attack, sending the ball back into the box, and after a bobble or two, it drops for Kanani, up with the attack for reasons known best to himself, and on the half-turn he shoots. It looks like Courtois has gone too late but, perhaps minding the unusual flight of the ball they\u2019re using, almost waits for it to bounce before plunging to his right and tipping behind. Excellent save.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min I can\u2019t think of a game for which Doku\u2019s illness could be less convenient. His explosive ability to change directions and slow up defenders before blazing by, conjuring space in the process, is the perfect antidote to a massed defence.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min I really like the intensity with which Belgium<\/a> have started. There\u2019s a tempo and conviction to their passing, Meunier having a cross blocked; Iran try to counter, but quickly lose the ball. They win it back, though, and try taking some heat out of proceedings, knocking it about their defence.<\/p>\n Iran’s Saleh Hardan, left, fights for the ball with Belgium’s Leandro Trossard. Photograph: Gregory Bull\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.25 EDT<\/p>\n 11 min Now it\u2019s Lukaku having a shot blocked, Kanani doing a really good job to extend his leg, but this is maturing into an onslaught.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 9 min Trossard wriggles down the left and cuts back, De Bruyne opening his body to glance a shot goalwards; Beiranvand saves, then De Cuyper\u2019s follow-up effort is blocked.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min \u201cIn the dead of winter 1974,\u201d writes Gary Stover, \u201cmy wife and I spent six weeks travelling from village to village in Iran<\/a>, on public buses, buying antique carpets to ship back to London to sell. We had not one word of Farsi. The Iranian people welcomed us, helped us in every way. I think these guys are playing for them, Daniel, the Iranian people.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a lovely anecdote, but my (limited) understanding of the situation us that the status of the team is a little more complex and contested than that.<\/p>\n Back with the game, De Bruyne belts a shot over the top, but his team have started commandingly.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7 min We\u2019re back under way, Belgium<\/a> again on the attack.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5 min I wonder how fit Lukaku is \u2013 before he came on in the first game, he\u2019d not played in months, but Belgium need him firing, badly. His performance against Brazil in 2018 is one of my favourites in recent World Cups but, I\u2019m afraid, was something a big-game outlier for him and followed by a collective no-show in the semi against France.<\/p>\n Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku challenges Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. Photograph: Mark J Terrill\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.52 EDT<\/p>\n 3 min De Cuyper swings in and Taremi heads clear then, when the ball comes out, De Bruyne curls an absolute brute into the corridor, Beiranvand diving and Lukaku sliding in, introducing studs to sternum. It\u2019s a right sair yin, with a knee to chin behind it, but the yellow card feels harsh to me \u2013 the ball was there to win, he had every right to go for it, and it\u2019s a contact sport. But the keeper is down, taking treatment; I think he\u2019ll be OK.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2 min A Belgium<\/a> attack breaks down and immediately, the ball is humped long for Taremi, Mechele getting to it first, and within seconds Saelemaekers wins a corner.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1 min Belgium set us away in an absolute behemoth of a ground stadium.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Anthem time!<\/p>\n Players of Iran line up for the national anthem. Photograph: Richard Heathcote\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.03 EDT<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Our teams are tunnelled \u2026 and here they come!<\/p>\n Axel Witsel leads the Belgium players in the tunnel. Photograph: Matt McNulty\/Fifa\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.04 EDT<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So where is the game? I don\u2019t love the Belgium<\/a> defence, and I\u2019d expect Taremi to attack the space in behind the centre-backs. Mechele lacks a bit of pace, while Ngoy doesn\u2019t have much experience at this level, so a wily so-an-so of his ilk will fancy the task. I\u2019d also expect the full-backs to support the wide midfielders when they can, looking to put crosses into the box.<\/p>\n Belgium, meanwhile, need to find a way around or through a massed defence. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll want De Bruyne to arc balls in for Lukaku, with him and Tielemans also a shooting threat from the edge. I also expect Trossard to be buzzing about, looking to passes in behind, shots into the far corner, and rebounds from any blocks of keeper spillages.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Also going on:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019d not be unkeen to hear Keane\u2019s take on England cricket\u2019s latest fiasco\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In fairness, Keane does apply this standard to himself. Musing on his performance in the second leg of the 1999 Champions League semi, Alex Ferguson wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation markRunning every blade of grass, competing as if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose. He inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with this player.\u201d<\/p>\n And Keane\u2019s response?<\/p>\n double quotation markStuff like that kind of almost insults me. What am I supposed to do? Give up? Not cover every blade of the grass? Not do my best for my teammates? Not too much to ask from a club. To be honest, I actually get offended when people throw quotes like that at me, as if I\u2019m supposed to be honoured by it. It\u2019s like praising the postman for delivering your letters he\u2019s supposed to, isn\u2019t he? That\u2019s his job. My job was to win football matches for Man United.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ahahaha, as if on cue, just after we see an interview in which Declan Rice extols Thomas Tuchel\u2019s preparation and communication, there\u2019s Roy to remind us that it\u2019s what he\u2019s paid to do. Or, in other words, it\u2019s impossible for anyone to excel, ever.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A question: what is the ideal time for World Cup<\/a> matches? This is a tricky one wherever in the world we are because it exists over multiple zones and I can\u2019t say I don\u2019t miss the working day joy but, as I say below, the security of knowing that, come teatime, there\u2019s a feast of to assault, is a banging feeling.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Hayes is working tonight and so is Roy Keane \u2013 a happy chance, given the Father\u2019s Day card my buddy Tinny received this morning.<\/p>\n Photograph: TGShare<\/a><\/p>\n In the UK, the undoubted star has been the wonderful Emma Hayes. I remember the first time I heard her co-commentate, many years ago now on BBC radio. Her ability to identify what sets the pattern of a match, simplifying complex tactical plans without being patronising, but making clear she\u2019s the expert and compelling us to listen, is unique.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n If I\u2019m honest, I can\u2019t say I love Henry as a pundit, though I think he\u2019s got loads better lately. It\u2019s brilliant when ex-players get into coaching and become obsessed with the detail \u2013 their punditry goes to an entirely different level, as we\u2019ve seen in the UK with Robbie Savage.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ll go into a little more tactical detail in due course. But in the meantime, I enjoyed this piece on Henry v Lalas almost as much as Aaron Timms enjoyed writing it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The switch to a more defensive formation makes perfect sense \u2013 Belgium<\/a> are are far bigger attacking threat than Egypt, so the plan is to absorb pressure and try for something on the counter or from a set-piece. If they can get something from the game, great, but if not, they\u2019d have taken a win or bust against Egypt in match three.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iran, meanwhile, make three changes. In defence, Rezeaelen is out, with Hardani in, while the change in formation, 4-4-2 to 5-4-1, sees Kanani also picked, with Yousefi excluded from midfield; and finally, Moghanlu is sent to the bench, with Hajisafi making space.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rudi Garcia, the Belgium<\/a> manager, makes four changes to the side which drew with Egypt. At right-back, Castagne is replaced by De Cuyper; in the pivot, it\u2019s Raskin not Onana; Doku is ill, so Saelemaekerrs comes in; and up front, Lukaku is fit enough to start, so De Ketelaere drops out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In Atlanta, a tousing is being administered.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Teams!<\/p>\n Belgium (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Raskin, Tielemans; Saelemaekers, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku. Subs: Castagne, De Ketelaere, De Winter, Fernandez-Pard0, Witsel, Lammens, Luk\u00e9bakio, Onana, Penders, Seys, Theate, Vanaken, Moreira.<\/p>\n Iran (5-4-1): Beiranvand; Hardani, Kanani, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Hajisafi; Rezaeian, Ghoddos, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi; Taremi. Subs: Alipour, Cheshmi, Dargahi, Eiri, Ghayedi, Ghorbani, Hosseini, Hosseinzadeh, Jahanbakhsh, Moghanloo, Mohammadi, Niazmand, Razzaghinia, Torabi, Yousefi.<\/p>\n Referee: Dar\u00edo Herrera (Argentina)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.09 EDT<\/p>\n Preamble<\/p>\n The world is a different place at the moment, isn\u2019t it? Macro level, it\u2019s same as it ever was, but for those of us going about our business on the micro, there\u2019s a serenity and a security; a sense of wellbeing that football has our back, that whatever else happens in our days, at some point, unstoppable joy awaits.<\/p>\n But why? During the club season, the same rules apply \u2013 we have football almost every night, often of a higher standard and often involving teams that accompany us through life like a second skin\u2013 yet the World Cup<\/a> touches in different places, building and immersing us in an entirely different reality.<\/p>\n The global nature of things is part of the answer, a trip through culture and diversity which teaches us about our planet and ourselves. But where club and international football diverge is in their grand project: the former deals mainly with identity, whereas the latter necessarily relates to freedom. Every nation has its struggles, too numerous to enumerate here, the emotion channelled on the pitch and in the stands, in homes and in town squares based, in one way or another, on humankind\u2019s greatest, most essential desire.<\/p>\n