Key events
Aha, our match report is here:
Thus all that remains is for me to bid you farewell – and do join Beau Dure for Uruguay v Cape Verde. Peace.
“If offside were just feet,” says Andy Flintoff, “then I wonder if there would be specialist pogoing coaches to get players moving just as quickly as running, but with both feet absolutely together and directly under their torsos. I’m not being entirely serious, but players would still try to find some way around it.”
Absolutely – and rightly so. I too have been thinking about why that idea mightn’t work but, though I’m not sure there’d be much practical difference, I’m struggling to come up with one.
“I feel like the Belgians wasted Lukaku, says Kári Tulinius. “He’s been the target of just a handful of crosses. Even if his main task is to tire out the Iranian defence before De Ketelaere comes on, he didn’t really give his minders a workout. The Red Devils aren’t the force of yesteryear, but Rudi Garcia isn’t maximizing his resources.”
I agree, though for a man of his dimensions, Lukaku isn’t great in the air. He’s also coming back from injury having not played in a long time, so it makes that he’s not sharp.
I can’t say I really understand this move. Sure, Chalobah can cover on the right and in the middle, but I can’t think of a situation in which you use him, and certainly not in one you’d have used Tino Livramento, whom he replaced.
It’s heating up at Shinnecock Hills…
“While we’re about celebrating football voices which wouldn’t have previously been heard on big-event mainstream shows,” emails Charles Antaki, “shout out to Lucy Ward on co-comms in the UK. Low on the smug anecdote and high on the no-nonsense insight. Readers are invited to compare that with the old boys of their choice.”
I agree – she’s really good and, while we’re here, I’m also enjoying Andros Townsend.
ShareGroup table and fixtures Photograph: GuardianShare
ANDITDONTSTOP. The blog of our next game is already under way.
“I see no problem with the ‘Crouch caber’ tactic,” returns Craig Scott. “It’s the sort of innovation that could get you a chapter in Jonathan Wilson’s next book.”
It’s the kind of thing I’d have expected to see in a Hot-Shot Hamish and Mighty Mouse story.
ShareFULL TIME: Belgium 0-0 Iran
That was pretty enjoyable for a game with no goals and not too many chances. Belgium continue to underwhelm, while Iran were excellent in defence; so far in the group, we’ve had three matches and three draws.
Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand and Shoja Khalilzadeh celebrate after the match. Photograph: Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.07 EDT
90+5 min Lukabakio, who’s also looked lively, flows in off the right and also tries a curler, seeking the far corner, but the ball flies over the angle and that might be it.
90+4 min Belgium push for the win, Fernandez-Pardo, who’s making an impression, opening a shooting lane with quick feet only to bang a curler wide. I wonder, though, if, against New Zealand, he can supply the sharp edge that’s so far been lacking.
Updated at 17.18 EDT
90+2 min Fernandez-Pardo oozes towards the box, but attempting a cute pass into it, he can’t quite find Luekbakio. Belgium, though, sustain the attack, a poor cross form Castagne giving Mechele little with which to play, his header flying wide.
90+1 min Nemati crosses from the left and Jahabkhsh is in the box … but the ball is fractionally high.
90 min We’ll have five additional minutes.
90 min “As a long suffering Blackburn Rovers fan,” says Christppher Lee, “one of my favourite memories is Andrew proving that ol Diamond Lights sometimes talks rubbish (as if more proof were needed) by scoring a wonderful improvised finish to win us the League Cup over Hoddle’s Spurs.”
Yup, I apologise for not flagging it, somehow distracting myself in the process.
89 min It’s Belgium trying to win it, Fernandez-Pardo making space in centrefield before Lukebakio’s cross sails just beyond the far post, Tielemans unable to catch up with it.
Updated at 16.56 EDT
87 min Change for Belgium, Fernandez-Pardo – who I believe is properly talented – replacing De Bruyne.
86 min But here come Belgium, De Bruyne sending the ball wide to Castagne, whose low cross is excellent. Tielemans slides at it but can only divert sideways … to De Cuyper, 15 yards out and in space! He hits hit well enough, but without requisite precision, Beiranvand again doing well to push away.
85 min Another Iran change, and another forward for a defender, Hosseinzadeh replacing Ezatolahi. A win here qualifies Iran for the last 32, so it makes sense to pick the attacking option – but actually, it almost always does, in life as well as football.
83 min “Is it just recency bias or is this World Cup especially goalkeeper-heroics heavy?” wonders Joshua Reynolds.
I think you’re right. the save Beiranvand made off the ground was sensational, and we’ve seen plenty of other fine efforts and performances.
Meantime, De Bruyne prepares to swing over a free-kick from wide on them right, the kind of opportunity that allows Belgium to load the box … then he picks out the keeper, who punches clear.
81 min De Bruyne gives it away in midfield, so Ezatolahi shoves the ball forward then explodes into a long-ranger which Courtois cant hold; he’s lucky no one’s following in, because otherwise that was 1-0.
79 min Belgium are sitting back and perhaps that’ll help them – in the process of going for the win, Iran will leave more space at the back.
78 min Another change as Iran chase the game, Moghanloo, a striker, replacing Ghoddos, a defender.
77 min “I agree it’s time for a shift to offside being determined by position of the feet,” says Craig Scott. In pre-VAR times it might have been unreasonable to ask assistant referees to judge anything other than ‘part of the body’ being offside. But with the semi-automated tech now we could judge it on feet and avoid people being offside because they have bigger hair, a fatter arse or knobblier knees than the defender.”
I’ve now got a mental image of a team holding a horizontal Peter Crouch and using him as a lance to attack headers.
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Alexander Abnos
76 min Our man on the ground says:
double quotation markThe pro-Iran crowd here at Los Angeles Stadium has sprung to life after that red card. There is spreading a real belief that Iran can get something, maybe even a famous win, out of this game.
75 min A ball into the box from Ghoddos and Jahanbakhsh is up … but his header is tame.
73 min Belgium send on Theate for the exhausted Lukaku. They can probably afford to lose this because they should sort New Zealand in their final game, but they’re struggling to build momentum.
71 min So, do Iran go for the win, potentially exposing themselves, or do they keep doing what they’re doing, hoping for a point, then go for Egypt in the final game? My sense is the latter, but if I was caught up in the game, I’m sure I’d say the former.
69 min What a chance this is for Iran. In Ngoy’s defence, once he’s made the error I don’t think he has a choice – with 21 minutes to go, Belgium have a better chance of a point at 0-0 with 10 menthan at 0-1 with 11.
ShareBELGIUM’S NGOY IS SENT OFF!
68 min There can’t be any argument here. Forty or so yards out, Ngoy looks to roll back to the keeper but underhits it to such extent that, when Taremi seizes upon it, he’s still within reach, so is quickly tugged back by the shoulder. There was a long way to goal, but Taremi was in, so the ref has no choice.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi reacts after a foul by Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy. Photograph: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/APBelgium’s Nathan Ngoy is shown a red card by referee Dario Herrera. Photograph: Kirby Lee/IMAGN IMAGES/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.57 EDT
66 min Two more changes for Iran, Mohebi and Hajisafi off with Torabi and Mohammadi on.
65 min Lukebakio tries a curler, seeking the far corner, and again, Beiranvend is equal to the effort, palming away, then Iran win a corner, send it to the back stick, and Khalilzadeh is up … but heads wide.
63 min “Poor old Andrew Cole always got harshly judged,” reckons Dennis Hamer. “I think because he was an efficient but unpretty finisher, really good at toe poke type shots and the like – Ronaldo 1 was the same, of course, but people never seemed to mind as much.”
He did have a slightly fidgety style, but he really suffered form Glenn Hoddle saying he needed six or seven chances to score a single goal. Which, if true, told us he had brilliant movement and anticipation – he did – and it’s worth bearing in mind his numbers were always high, without penalties.
59 min HOW DO BELGIUM FAIL TO SCORE?! A lovely pass over the top from Trosard is gorgeously controlled by De Bruyne, a single caress taming it close to the by-line. He crosses low and hard, but somehow, Nemati blocks then, when De Cuyper shoots from close range, Beirenvand somehow leaps from the ground to palm away. That is ludicrous behaviour from the keeper, who’s having a stormer.
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand makes a save from Belgium’s Maxim De Cuyper. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/APShare
Updated at 16.55 EDT
58 min Changes for Belgium, Meunier, Raskin and Saelemaekers going off with Castagne, Lukebakio and Vanaken replacing them.
57 min I see the Courtois save again, a beat away from a Taremi swivel-and-shot.
55 min “It is absolutely ridiculous that your butt can be offside,” reckons Robin Griller. “The rule should be simplified to: if neither of your feet are offside, you are not offside, in which case GOOOOAAALLLL!!!!!”
It’s always been any part of your body with which you can legally play the ball, which I think is fair in concept, but perhaps feet would simplify things. It’d be a better tweak to the law than Wenger’s, I think.
53 min Courtois saves Belgium again! I don’t actually see what happens because my coverage jumps, we’ve not been allowed a replay, and there’s no option to take coverage backwards, but I see the ball hit the keeper, hard.
51 min How Belgium wish they still had Marouane Fellaini; at 38, I reckon he could still do a job off the bench but, alas, he’s retired. Back in the now, Tielemans cleverly allows the ball through his legs and De Bruyne crosses for Trossard who can’t quite get his head around it, sending an effort over … then the flag goes up for offside.
50 min This time, he raises both arms and drills a ridiculous pass over the Saelemaekers at the back post, who makes decent connection with his volley but doesn’t have enough angle with which to play, lashing into the near-post side-netting.
49 min De Bruyne’s delivery is good, but when the ball is headed behind for a corner, his next effort is poor … but it wins him a further opportunity.
47 min Trossard is down and looks in pain, head down and body shaking. I didn’t quite see what happened, but just as I’m fearing for him he begins the long ascent to uprightness, then we see studs raked down his calf, a huge hole ripped in his sock. Free-kick Belgium, deep inside the Iran half, out on the right.
47 min Nice from Trossard, who moves infield then feeds De Bruyne outside him; the eventuating shot is blocked by Kanani.
46 min We go again, Iran replacing Hardani with Jahanbakhsh. I wonder if they’re moving to four at the back, because nominally, that’s an attacker for a defender.
Half-time email: Dave Estherby has some thoughts on our prolific scorer/poor finisher conversation: Averaged a goal every two games across his career but couldn’t hit a barn door at Man Utd (or Inter, thinking about it).”
Harsh, I’d say – he wasn’t quite good enough for United, but without him they don’t win the title in 2002-03. He had an unusual ability either to make things happen or turn up as they were happening, but he couldn’t always take advantage. See also: Nuñez, Darwin.