Iran played beautiful game under worst conditions: Coach Amir Ghalenoei hails Belgium draw

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei praised his side’s performance after their goalless draw against Belgium at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, saying his players produced a “beautiful game” despite facing what he described as the “worst possible conditions” heading into the World Cup.

The result left Iran on two points from two Group G matches after their opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand.

Ghalenoei pointed to a demanding travel schedule, visa complications, and limited preparation time as some of the challenges his team have had to overcome during the tournament.

“We came into the World Cup under the worst possible conditions,” Ghalenoei told reporters. “And still we got a result against a great team and a great manager.

“We played a beautiful game.”

Iran, who are based in Tijuana, Mexico, arrived in the United States on Saturday night, played Belgium on Sunday and were due to return to Mexico later the same day.

“We had two great games without losing,” Ghalenoei said. “Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we focus on Egypt, which is a very strong team.

“We need to recover and then we have to fly back. We don’t even have enough time to recover. Tomorrow, we will look at this game and look at the game with Egypt.”

The Iran coach said recovery would be crucial before Friday’s final group-stage match against Egypt in Seattle.

“Right now, we need recovery,” he said. “Sixteen hours, two flights and a heavy game. I don’t think anyone could have endured this. And our players have given everything. What we need the most now is to recover.”

Winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Iran were only seeking fair conditions to prepare and travel with their full support staff.

“That’s just the fairness,” Jahanbakhsh said. “I think for all the teams, and I don’t think we are asking for much.”

The former Brighton player added that the difficulties had helped bring the squad closer together.

“From the other side, this is part of our culture that in a difficult situation we perform better. I think that united us even more, and that’s one of the things we showed today. We showed a great deal of character, and part of it comes from the situation we are in.”

Iran face Egypt at Lumen Field on Friday knowing a positive result could secure a place in the knockout stage for the first time in the country’s history.

“Hopefully, for the next game, we can go a bit earlier,” Jahanbakhsh said. “Seattle is a different city, a different place and further from the place where we are staying in Tijuana.”

Ghalenoei and Jahanbakhsh both praised goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who made a series of important saves to help Iran earn a point.

Beiranvand’s best intervention came midway through the second half when he reacted quickly on his goal line to stop a dangerous ball from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.

“He is one of our greatest goalkeepers in the history of Iranian football, and he had one of his best days today,” Ghalenoei said. “He had the right concentration, and he gave us one very valuable point.”

Iran also enjoyed strong backing from their supporters, who made their voices heard among the crowd of 70,317 at SoFi Stadium as the team secured a result that keeps their hopes of reaching the last 32 alive.

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