End of the day: What did Belgium do wrong to draw 0-0 with Iran?

Another disappointing day for Belgium national team fans. After their 1-1 draw with Egypt, Rudy Garcia's men were expected to get the much-anticipated win against Iran. After creating several chances, the team failed to score and they need to win their match against New Zealand to advance to the next round of the 2026 World Cup. They are favorites again, but that's what happened against Iran and Egypt. So, what went wrong for Belgium in the match against Iran? And what to do in the crucial match against New Zealand?

Changes not giving desired results

Rudy Garcia is without a doubt in this match. He brought in Nicolas Raskin, Maxim De Cuyper and Alexis Saelemaekers, which he thought would change the work. Raskin and Saelemaekers failed to make a real impact on the competition. But De Cuyper created few chances, leading team keeper Alireza Veeranband made a brilliant save.

Romelu is completely unwell for Luke

His transformation into a different player in the previous match was impressive, and Garcia placed him early to produce results. Before the match, the head coach of the Belgian team said that he will only play 45 to 60 minutes. As Garcia believes, Belgium are certainly ahead of the curve. Luke played 73 minutes, but it was clear he was not fit. His touch was flawed and he was unable to score the goals he would normally score for the national team. But New Zealand will need him to play in the future as he is considered to be the team's best goalscorer.


Red Card for Nathan Ngoi

Ngoi really didn't deserve to be kicked out. The defender was too good to approach Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi, but he decided to beat him down. This World Cup showed that when a player is close to the goal, because he is in the next half way, this is how red cards are given. Ngoi should learn from this, but it didn't help Belgium create chances. They still created chances, but with 11 men, they could have put more pressure on Iran.

Time to start Todi Lucabagio?

Lucabagio came on the field as a different player and after almost scoring a wonderful goal, his angled shot was very close. Despite his struggles at home last season, Lukakupaggio has been a front-runner for Belgium. It is believed that he will give the start for him. No one has scored for Belgium so far this World Cup, so Garcia will have to make a difference in the future. When Tokoo returns, Leandro Trossart will have to be ignored, but he played very well in his start against Egypt.

Thibod Courtois is key

Although they were outnumbered, Iran did not win the match. They tried to score through Taremi in the first half, but VAR found him sitting too far. In the second half, Courtois denied the lead near the point, a reminder of just how good he is. Belgium should still be confident of getting out of the group, but they have put themselves in a very tough position. If they don't improve, Garcia's job is likely to end. If Belgium can get through the group, they will have to forget about the group situation and start fresh. When the next round starts, the real competition begins. In earlier times, if the light was low, the matches might look different. Belgium will advance to the next round if anything goes against New Zealand.

---

Related Articles

1. Scotland Faces Brazil in Crucial World Cup 2026 Test

2. 2026 FIFA World Cup: Group D Preview