Iran vs New Zealand 2-2 — Four Goals and Constant Lead Changes

Iran and New Zealand played out a high-scoring 2-2 draw in a group-stage match where the expected-goals numbers came out close for both sides — 1.5 to 1.24 in the hosts' favor.

Elijah Just opened the scoring for New Zealand in the 7th minute, but Roozbeh Rezaeian leveled it for Iran in the 32nd — a quick exchange of goals in the first half set the tempo for a high-scoring contest.

Elijah Just's brace restored the visitors' lead

Just completed his brace with a second goal in the 54th minute, putting New Zealand back in front.

A rare case of one player restoring his team's advantage twice in the same match against organized opposition.

Mehdi Mohebi restored parity in the 64th minute

Mohebi's goal leveled the score again just ten minutes after Just's second.

The numbers confirm an exceptionally productive, open second half in which the two sides traded goals with barely a pause.

Possession was nearly even at 51-49

With possession this close, neither side established full control over the tempo of the match.

The numbers confirm an open, two-way contest across all 90 minutes.

Alireza Beiranvand made 6 saves, sparing the hosts a defeat

Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand turned away 6 New Zealand attempts during the match — without his interventions.

The scoreline could easily have gone against the hosts given the volume of chances the visitors created.

A goals-prevented reading of -0.28 for both sides

A small negative goals-prevented figure for both teams means the actual result was slightly worse than the model expected.

A statistic confirming just how productive this particular match turned out to be for both sides at once.

17 shots for the hosts against 14 for the visitors

Iran fired more shots than New Zealand, but it was finishing accuracy that produced the level scoreline.

Both sides showed high efficiency in the final third throughout the match.

The draw barely moves the needle in Group G

Iran entered the match third in Group G on 3 points, while New Zealand sat bottom on 1.

The draw preserved the status quo in the standings ahead of the remaining group fixtures.

Blocked shots and offsides round out the picture

5 blocked shots for the hosts against 2 for the visitors, with 2 offsides for Iran against zero for New Zealand.

The numbers confirm the hosts more often tried to time runs in behind the opposing back line, while the visitors played a more disciplined positional game.

A high-scoring draw suits both sides to varying degrees

For New Zealand, who led twice in this match, missing out on the win is a disappointment.

While Iran will be relieved to have twice fought back against a side that caused real problems for their defense throughout the second half.