Belgium has been held to a 0-0 draw by Iran in their World Cup Group G match in Los Angeles as they failed to break through Iran's resilient defence.
Boosted by an LA crowd largely in their corner, Iran repelled waves of attacks to share the points, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand making seven saves on a mostly sunny day in Southern California on Sunday.
In a frustrating game where they dominated possession, Belgium were reduced to 10 men after Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card for hauling down Mehdi Taremi, who was through on goal, in the second half.
Iran has two points and will next face Egypt in Seattle on Friday, while Belgium, also on two points, play New Zealand in Vancouver.
Iran’s football federation says it will file a complaint with FIFA after authorities denied the team’s request to travel to Los Angeles two days before Sunday’s World Cup clash against Belgium.
Team Melli’s base camp was shifted from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, ahead of the tournament.
Iranian officials say the team is being unfairly forced to fly in a day before matches and leave immediately afterwards.
Iran travelled 127 miles from Tijuana to Los Angeles before Monday’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand, but captain Mehdi Taremi said the journey stretched to five hours because of immigration and security procedures.
