Belgium Seize Early Control Against Iran in 0-0 Group G Match

Q: With fragile peace talks underway, why does Iran's team face war-like travel restrictions at the World Cup?

Iran’s team is facing those restrictions because the U.S.-Iran conflict has not been fully resolved, and U.S. authorities are still treating Iranian travel as a high-security issue despite the ceasefire and ongoing talks. In practice, that has meant Iran could not operate like other teams at the World Cup. Its base camp was shifted from Arizona to Tijuana after visa and security problems, with some staff reportedly denied entry. Players and coaches have been allowed in for matches, but under tight conditions: entering the U.S. shortly before games, commuting from Mexico, and returning immediately after. Coach Amir Ghalenoei said the squad reached Los Angeles only 16 hours before kick-off and trained for “half the usual time.” U.S. officials have defended the measures as war-related precautions and said they are also consistent with FIFA travel protocols. But Iran argues the restrictions go far beyond normal tournament logistics. The federation says the arrangements are unequal, physically draining and harmful to preparation, and has lodged a complaint with FIFA. The wider context explains why the rules remain so severe. Although a ceasefire and a 60-day negotiating window are in place, the truce is fragile, fighting has continued in parts of the region, and U.S. officials have said forces remain ready to resume operations. That leaves Iran in the unusual position of playing a World Cup in a co-host country with which it is still in a highly volatile security standoff.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 21

Belgium controlled most of the opening 34 minutes against Iran, leading the match-threat chart from kickoff through long stretches despite the score remaining 0-0.
Minute-by-minute momentum data showed Belgium on top from 1' to 13', again from 19' to 23', and from 28' to 34', with Iran's best spell coming in between.
Iran briefly threatened to turn that pressure into a lead, but VAR disallowed Mehdi Taremi's effort around the 25th minute for offside and encroachment.
The Group G match opened with Belgium using a 4-2-3-1 under Rudi Garcia against Amir Ghalenoei's more defensive 5-4-1 setup for Iran.