Belgium were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Iran in their second World Cup match on Sunday. Iran had a first-half goal ruled out for offside and Belgium were reduced to 10 men when defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off after an hour.
While Belgium had the vast majority of the possession and pressure, they were unable to find a way through Iran’s defence. After Ngoy was sent off for pulling down striker Mehdi Taremi, Iran began to create chances of their own and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was called on to keep them out.
“Are we disappointed? Of course, that’s only natural,” said striker Romelu Lukaku, who was recalled to the starting line-up after injury. “We let our emotions get the better of us. That’s all I can say about it. We had a game plan; we should have stuck to it more closely. You have to be able to put your emotions aside at crucial moments.”
"Of course there’s disappointment. It was a bit quiet in the changing room just now"
The draw follows the Red Devils’ 1-1 against Egypt in their opening match and leaves them on 2 points and in third place in the group. Egypt top the group after beating New Zealand 3-1. The final group matches are due to be played on Saturday and Belgium will need to beat New Zealand to avoid an early exit from the competition.
“Of course there’s disappointment,” Courtois added. “It was a bit quiet in the changing room just now. The pressure is certainly higher now, because it’s do or die against New Zealand. What we need to do now, above all, is show confidence.”