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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Sports

Iran Fights Back Twice to Draw 2-2 with New Zealand in World Cup Opener

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Iran twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their opening Group G match of the 2026 World Cup.
  • Elijah Just scored both goals for New Zealand, while Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi netted for Iran.
  • The result leaves all four teams in Group G with one point after Belgium and Egypt also drew their match.

Iran staged a dramatic comeback, twice equalizing to salvage a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their opening 2026 World Cup Group G fixture. The match, held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, saw New Zealand take the lead twice, only for Iran to fight back on both occasions.

New Zealand, the lowest-ranked team in the group, started strongly, with Elijah Just opening the scoring in the seventh minute after a well-worked move involving Chris Wood. Iran equalized in the 32nd minute through Ramin Rezaeian, who capitalized on a scramble in the box. However, New Zealand regained their advantage in the 54th minute, again through a clinical finish from Just.

Iran's resilience shone through once more in the 64th minute when Mohammad Mohebi headed home an accurate cross from Rezaeian to level the score at 2-2. Despite both teams pushing for a winner, neither could find the decisive goal, leaving the group wide open with all four teams sharing one point after the opening matches.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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