The last time four World Cup matches on the same day ended in a tie, Pelé was the 17-year-old breakout star and Frenchman Just Fontaine went on to score a tournament-record 13 goals.That was 1958.
Iran didn’t enter that competition but began its troubled 2026 World Cup campaign with one of those ties, 2-2 against New Zealand.Iran’s coach said his team was ordered to leave the U.S.
and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after the match.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Looking ahead, if there’s a modern-day equivalent to Fontaine, it might be the prolific Kylian Mbappé.The Real Madrid star, who scored a hat trick in the last final, opens his campaign when France faces Senegal today.World Cup RecapFor all of the focus on geopolitics before Iran-New Zealand, on the pitch, the Group G matchup was a back-and-forth roller coaster, with Team Melli showing spirit to rally twice from behind in front of fierce Los Angeles support.
Nonetheless, coach Amir Ghalenoei will be disappointed to tie against a team ranked 65 places lower in FIFA’s rankings.Elijah Just, who plays for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, netted a brace, becoming the first New Zealand player to score more than one goal in a World Cup game.If Iran’s opener was the most newsworthy game of the World Cup so far, then Cape Verde-Spain was the most surprising.
World Cup debutants Cape Verde, a nation of 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Africa with a population of just over 500,000, had 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha to thank for keeping the reigning European champions — who included Pedri, Rodri and Ferran Torres — at bay.Not even teen sensation Lamine Yamal, who came on as a substitute after 70 minutes, could break the deadlock.Elsewhere, a lackluster Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt.
It was the same score line between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.Vozinha of Cape Verde makes a save against Spain during ...