Iran denied late winner by VAR as Egypt draw 1-1; Team Melli awaits last-16 fate

Late drama in Seattle

Iran thought they had snatched a dramatic victory when Shoja Khalilzadeh found the net in the 92nd minute, sparking wild celebrations among players and substitutes who piled onto the scorer while he was still on the pitch. The VAR review, however, confirmed a marginal offside and the goal was disallowed. Moments later, Saeid Ezatolahi headed against the bar in the sixth minute of added time, sealing a cruel 1-1 draw for Team Melli.

How the match unfolded

Egypt took an early lead through Mahmoud Saber after five minutes. Iran were handed an immediate lifeline when Mohamed Abdelmoneim fouled Mehdi Taremi in the box, but Taremi's penalty was saved by Mostafa Shobeir diving to his left. Iran levelled in the 14th minute when Ramin Rezaeian followed up a rebound to score his second goal of the tournament. The game then descended into a soporific affair before exploding into life in the dying minutes.

Salah injury concern

Mohamed Salah was substituted in the 57th minute and pictured with an ice pack on his left thigh. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan allayed fears, saying:

“The injury does not appear to be serious.”

Egypt, already through before kick-off, will face Australia in the last 16 in Dallas on 3 July.

Iran's qualification scenarios

With three points and a goal difference of zero, Iran occupy a provisional sixth place among the best third-placed teams and can only be overtaken by three more nations. To secure a last-16 spot, they need just one of three results on Saturday: a winner in Austria against Algeria, a draw or win for Uzbekistan versus DR Congo, or a defeat for Croatia against Ghana.

Group G picture

Belgium thrashed New Zealand 5-1 to top the group on five points, edging Egypt on goal difference. The Red Devils will also play a last-16 tie in Seattle, on 1 July, against a yet-to-be-determined best third-placed side.