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Iran put their turbulent build-up to the World Cup behind them as they fought back twice to secure a 2-2 draw with New Zeland in what was the game of the tournament so far.After a bright start from Iran, New Zealand took the lead in the seventh minute after Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood held the ball up at well and combined with Motherwell forward Eli Just, who steered a volley past goalkeeper Alireza Behranvand.Iran repsonded well as Ramin Rezaeian found an equaliser but Just grabbed his second of the game 10 minutes into the second half as combined with Wood again before rounding off a flowing team move to put New Zeland on course for a first World Cup win.However, Iran hit back again. Rezaeian swung in a cross from the right and Mohammad Mohebbi guided a header in off the foot of the post to secure a draw that leaves all four teams in Group G on one point following Belgium's 1-1 draw with Egypt.Protestors gathered outside Sofi Stadium, calling for change in Tehran ahead of Iran's first game at the World Cup.Iran's anthem was jeered by some sections of the crowd in LA7: GOAL! Just's strike game New Zealand lead against the run of play32: GOAL! Rezaeian brought Iran level as the first hydration break broke New Zealand's momentum54: GOAL!: Just combined with Wood for a second time to give New Zealand the lead again

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Cristiano Ronajdo. Karim Benzema. Neymar. Sadio Mane.The list of world-class talent who have chosen to play in the Saudi Pro League has risen over the years.But could the presence of these multiple Champions League and Ballon d'Or winners be finally benefitting the nation that has been selected to host the 2034 World Cup?Over the years the Saudi Arabia national team has struggled on the world stage.At the 2002 World Cup they suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat against Germany in their first group game in Japan. They exited the tournament without a point - or a goal.However, the performance of the national team has steadily improved since the Saudi Pro League started throwing money at attracting big names.In Russia in 2018, Saudi Arabia beat an Egypt team that included Mohamed Salah 2-1 thanks to Salem al Dawsari's late winner.And, four years later in Qatar, they sent shockwaves around the world by defeating Argentina in their opening game, with Al Dawsari again the scorer of the iconic winning goalOn Monday, they launched their seventh appearance at the World Cup with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Uruguay in Miami.Are the days of 8-0 thumpings on the world stage a thing of the past?"We have to teach the young players here what it takes so they can move to other clubs," said Benzema after joining Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad in 2023."It's a good league and there are many good players."With the exception of defender Saud Abdulhamid, who plays in France with Lens, the starting XI against Uruguay all play their club football in Saudi Arabia.The team, nicknamed the Green Falcons, is made up of a mix of youth and experience.Al Dawsari, 34, who captains the national team, is playing in his third World Cup, after those goals in the 2018 and 2022 editions.Musab al Juwayr is an exciting young playmaker who showed his value to the team in qualifying, providing the most assists (3).The 22-year-old is being tipped to be a mainstay of the side for years to come, while Abdulelah al Amri, who scored against Uruguay, and Abdullah al Khaibari are both team-mates of Ronaldo's at Al-Nassr."The Saudi league is better than MLS (North America's Major League Soccer)," Ronaldo said after he moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023. He recently scored his 100th goal in the Saudi Pro League.Al Amri became the first defender to score for Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, with his strike also representing the nation's first-ever goal from a corner in the competition.His only previous international goal came on his debut in a friendly against Kuwait in March 2021.It was the first time Saudi Arabia had opened the scoring in a World Cup match since a 1-0 win over Belgium in 1994. They had not scored the opening goal in any of their previous 16 matches in the competition."Fortunately, I can say the Saudi league is a very good league, and watched by everybody in the world," said the former Liverpool forward."So, for me, as long as I'm doing my best and I'm enjoying myself every single minute, that's more important."The money is still flowing with overseas signings but compared to the peak of 2023, there is more focus on bringing in younger players with sell-on value.According to sources in Riyadh, there are still funds available for the right veteran superstar such as Mohamed Salah.The Egyptian, who has left Liverpool, is wanted by Al-Ittihad - but only if the price is right.Installing a new head coach just 59 days before facing Uruguay was a huge gamble.Saudi Arabia sacked Herve Renard, who masterminded that famous win over Argentina four years ago, and brought in Greek coach Georgios Donis as his replacement.Against Uruguay, they were closing in on a fine win when Maxi Araujo equalised in the 80th minute."Saudi Arabia will be so disappointed that they conceded because defensively it was very cohesive, in terms of the distances, the shape and between the lines," said former Scotland defender Rachel Corsie on BBC Radio 5 Live.The 40-year-old keeper who inspired Cape Verde's historic debut'Cartwheels at breakfast' & kicking about Boston - the culture shift in Scotland camp

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What, really, were the emotions flowing through the veins of Iran’s players as they took to the pitch in Los Angeles? A few hours earlier Donald Trump, in France before the G7 summit, said a peace deal had been signed. A penny for the thoughts, too, of the Fifa president up in the VIP seats, Gianni Infantino, who in effect admitted he was powerless to prevent Iran from the chaos that has overshadowed their participation.Finally, then, for 101 minutes against New Zealand at least, Iran’s players were able to focus on the football, just as their head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, vowed they would. Goals from Mohammad Mohebbi and Ramin Rezaeian cancelled out a smart Eli Just double. The cue of a partisan crowd provided the kind of joy Iran captain Mehdi Taremi conceded had been missing in recent months.With the Hollywood hills visible from parts of this spectacular stadium, covered by a teardrop-shaped canopy underneath which there is a wraparound LED chandelier, Iran did not seem bogged down by political baggage. After all, this was arguably the most politically supercharged sporting event in history, given the hurdles Iran overcame just to take to the field in Los Angeles – this was the first of three Group G games in the USA, the country with which Iran has been at war with since February. Eleven Iran officials were refused entry to the US, prompting them to relocate their team base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. Their training programme was delayed.Then there is the volatility of Iranian politics and the associated infighting. There are hundreds of thousands of Iranian-Americans based in the area of town tagged “Tehrangeles”, home to the biggest population of Iranians outside of Iran, many of whom fled religious and political persecution. But there is division among Iranians, some of whom protested outside the team hotel and outside the stadium here with clear messages against the Islamic Republic; one activist said the regime has turned athletes into mouthpieces, others referred to Iran’s government as terrorists.The backdrop made for a few different sights on the open-top bus tour of the city in the hours before kick-off. Protestors carried the pre-revolutionary flag of Iran, sold merchandise with the controversial sun and lion emblem, portraits of the former shah of Persia. On the day of the game a Fifa ban on the flags was upheld by a judge after a lawsuit was filed to LA’s superior court. While Fifa’s code of conduct prohibits materials of “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature”, several carried the flags into the ground unchallenged; one couple were asked to simply remove the sticks attached to them. Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, had been quoted as saying their players would abandon the match if they heard political slogans in the ground.But inside this spectacular stadium, there was little in the way of opposition. From the moment Taremi exchanged pennants with Chris Wood, the support for Iran was overwhelmingly positive. Unlike in their opening game in Qatar four years ago, Iran sang the national anthem, which in itself is a divisive issue. Iran, all in white against the All Whites, made a fast start but trailed on seven minutes when Just juggled the ball in the box and wellied it past Alireza Beiranvand. It was a fine move that stemmed from Wood controlling on his chest a long kick downfield by the Millwall goalkeeper Max Crocombe. Wood and Just then combined in the box, the latter taking the ball away from Ali Nemati with his left boot and then smacking in with the laces of his right.A loose contest meant plenty of openings. Shahriar Moghanloo made, surely, a goal-saving block, taking the ball off the toes of Wood after the Nottingham Forest striker wound up a shot and Taremi cracked an effort against the post after soaring to the edge of the 18-yard box from inside his own half. Iran levelled when Rezaeian poked in, the 36-year-old rewarded for burning towards goal after sending a delightful pass infield with the outside of his right foot. Saman Ghoddos’s first-time pass into Moghanloo was sumptuous and while Moghanloo couldn’t convert, Rezaeian ghosted past Michael Boxall to send his shot past Crocombe.It always felt unlikely the goals would stop there and Just scored his and his country’s second 10 minutes into the second half. He again dovetailed with Wood and while Wood screamed for the Motherwell striker to square, he coolly dinked the ball over Beiranvand. New Zealand again failed to hold on to their lead, Mohebbi heading in via a post nine minutes later after finding himself unmarked between centre-backs Boxall and Finn Surman. Mohebbi celebrated by putting his hands out as if to say: Well, how about that, then? That feeling was shared at the final whistle.

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Assistant coach Hayden Foxe backs Socceroos to handle match hypeAustralia meet co-hosts on Friday after both won Group D openersAustralia’s players are mature ⁠enough to handle the ⁠hype ahead of ​their high-profile World Cup match against co-hosts the United States and do not need staff to tell them to get off ⁠social media, assistant coach Hayden Foxe has said.The Socceroos meet the USA in Seattle on Friday, with both sides pumped up by home media and ⁠football pundits after winning their Group D openers against Turkey and Paraguay respectively.Several US commentators ​have written off Australia as a problem ‌for the co-hosts, including ‌former centre back Alexi Lalas who judged them an “average team by any measure” in his ‌pre-tournament rankings of the 48 participating nations.Foxe said there was no need to shield Australia’s players from the outside noise.“We can’t baby them. They’re their own selves, we want them to be their own selves,” the former Socceroos centre-back said. “Social media’s out there, they’re aware of media and the comments and what’s being said.“But we’re ‌concentrated on us. They’re old enough and mature enough to understand what gets said and what doesn’t get said.”Australia, who have never got past ​the round of 16, enjoyed a dream start in upsetting Turkey 2-0 with classy goals by livewire attacker Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe.Irankunda said Australia’s players were fired up by Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu describing his team as more talented than the Socceroos.“It did piss off a few ⁠boys, but at the end of the day, these guys can talk ​all the shit ... we ​don’t really care,” he said.Metcalfe ​said Tony Popovic-coached Australia would go into the US match “full of energy, ​full of confidence”.Foxe warned ‌his players not ​to get too ​carried away, though, reminding how everyone got excited at Qatar 2022 when Saudi Arabia upset eventual champions Argentina only to crash out of the group.“Fantastic win against Turkey. Memorable, great. Enjoy that moment,” he said. “Now that’s gone. Now we move on to the US.”

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Maxi Araujo’s late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw for Uruguay against Saudi Arabia as goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais was the hero.The Saudi goalkeeper made a string of saves to keep his side in front and while the clean sheet was denied him, his player-of-the-match performance succeeded in frustrating the two-time World Cup winners led by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.Saudi Arabia had looked on course to find themselves top of Group H after the first round of games when Abdulelah Al-Amri poked the ball into Fernando Muslera's net late in the first half after the veteran goalkeeper could only parry Mohamed Kanno's header.But Uruguay were much improved in the second half, adding greater urgency following the half-time withdrawal of ex-Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United had a shot tipped against the post by Al-Owais on the hour.But Araujo finally scored after Al-Owais could only push another Federico Vinas header into his path. Uruguay were well worth it and were close to a winner as Miami's heat tired their opponents but will feel they escaped given how late the equaliser came.5: Al-Owais pushes a Vina snap-shot away from goal30: Vinas heads at goal but Al-Owais is able to save38: Al-Amri's shot on the angle is tipped over by Muslera41: GOAL! Al-Amri takes this chance to stun Uruguay60: Ugarte's shot is tipped against the post by Al-Owais80: GOAL! Araujo fires home on the angle to equalise90+3: Valverde's shot is pushed around the post by Al-Owais

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Fifa’s embrace of rapacious American capitalism may have found its limits in Miami, one of the entertainment capitals of the world.Despite just seven tickets showing as available on their official website at kick-off there were thousands of empty seats – and empty concourses – throughout most of this game, a hard-fought draw which leaves Group H deadlocked following Cape Verde’s stunning draw with Spain earlier in the day.Gianni Infantino has famously attempted to portray the World Cup as 104 Super Bowls, although judging by this turnout the locals require some convincing. While the official attendance was given as 62,764 out of a capacity of 64,478, many did not turn up until the second half, with Fifa sources claiming that a crash on the highway was responsible for the late arrivals.Miami has more Instagram influencers per capita than Los Angeles and New York, which suggests that Fifa should have recruited some of them to help shift tickets rather than the ubiquitous IShowSpeed, whose hyperactivity has begun to irritate some A-list guests in Fifa’s VVIP areas.As their city is built on celebrity and glamour Miami residents are not easily impressed, and even sports fans are spoilt for choice.The Hard Rock Stadium has hosted six Super Bowls and is a regular staging post on the Formula One circuit, so a group stage World Cup game featuring two goal-shy sides was never going to be a red letter day.The empty seats also showed the potential pitfalls of Fifa’s reliance on another US staple, the secondary ticketing market, as there is no doubt the tickets were sold.Given that the face value of category one and two tickets was $430 and $600 respectively it appears unlikely there were thousands of deliberate no-shows, with a more plausible scenario being that tickets snapped up by speculative opportunists were not sold on.Uruguay deserved their point after coming from behind, as they controlled for all but the last 10 minutes of the first half when Abdulelah al-Amri gave Saudi Arabia the lead against the run of play.Uruguay’s preparations for the game had been disrupted by a delay to the flight from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale, in the latest example of the potential pitfalls of staging a multi-country World Cup, but their travel problems did not appear to have had any lasting effect.As one would expect from a Marcelo Bielsa side they dominated possession from the outset and created a good chance in just the fifth minute, when Federico Vinas’s cross from the left was met by Ronald Araújo, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais.There was a polite enquiry for a penalty in the 20th minute when Sebastián Cáceres shot struck the hand of Hassan al-Tambakti, but his arm was clearly by his side and their best chance of the first half fell to Vinas, whose low diving header went straight at Owais.Cheered on loudly by an impressive showing of fans clad in green, Saudi Arabia hung in the game and got their reward just before half-time.Amri had already brought an excellent save from Fernando Muslera with a powerful header from a corner in the 38th minute before he gave his side the lead from another set-piece three minutes later.Musab al-Juwayr’s cross was met by a header from Tambakti, which Muslera parried, with Amri quickest to react by tapping into the net. Muslera will have been annoyed that he did not catch the ball cleanly, as was Bielsea judging by his thunderous expression on the sidelines.Bielsa responded by making two changes at half-time, including removing Darwin Núñez, who even allowing for the hot and humid conditions had looked off the pace throughout.In fairness to the former Liverpool striker he has only played two matches – both for Uruguay in March – since February, when he was deregistered by Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal following their signing of Karim Benzema.Bielsa also moved Federico Valverde to a more central role after he had been largely anonymous wide on the right during the first half, a tactical switch which made a difference as Uruguay’s dominance returned.Saudi Arabia defended stoically however, and limited their opponents to half-chances from crosses. Vinas and the substitute Agustín Canobbio both headed wide, while Owais made another good save from Manuel Ugarte, whose shot from the right was pushed onto the far post.Uruguay continued to attack down the flanks, though, and an equaliser that felt inevitable arrived in the 80th minute. Mathías Olivera’s cross was headed towards goal by Vinas, Owais failed to catch the ball, and Maxi Araújo reacting quickest with a neat side-footed finish at the near post.Owais made amends in injury time however, making two good saves from Nicolás de la Cruz and Valverde.After dropping two points Spain were the real winners from this result, and will aim to capitalise when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta. Uruguay return here to face Cape Verde on Sunday, which will also present another test of Fifa’s sales strategy.

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There have now been five matches without defeat for Asian sides at this World Cup after the draw between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Jonathan Wilson had already pondered even before the game in Miami whether these are early signs that the continent is a rising force in football, with Iran out to add to the evidence when they face New Zealand.double quotation markAFC teams have in the past perhaps been guilty of lacking belief against Uefa sides, but no longer. Japan celebrated the equaliser as any side that has snatched a draw should, but the disappointment when they fell behind was clear. First and second in this group play second and first in the Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti group. It’s an indication of how far both Morocco and Japan have come that it’s not at all clear that it would be easier to face them than Brazil or the Netherlands.

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ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul NjiePraia, Cape VerdeThe streets of Cape Verde's capital, Praia, shook to the deafening sounds of vuvuzelas, chants and car horns, after the Blue Sharks held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup opener.Though the sides shared the points, for many Cape Verdeans it felt more like a win."It was an emotional moment," said Isa Conceição, a supporter who was watching the match from a packed fan zone.She, like thousands of other attendees, was dressed in a blue national team jersey to show pride in her country's World Cup exploits. Much of the island nation erupted in wild celebrations at the final whistle."Being a small country and being able to achieve such a good result against Spain, a football powerhouse, is the greatest feeling ever," she told the BBC.Men, women, and children were all dancing to the rhythm of the official World Cup song released by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.As the beats of "nos óra dja txiga" played through the fan zone, supporters chanted along in excitement – some waving the national flag. The word is Cape Verdean Creole for "our time has come."It seemed a fitting phrase after the small country of about half a million people edged continental giants, Cameroon, to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history.The squad came into the tournament as the underdogs, playing in group H against two former World Cup winning teams – Spain and Uruguay.To France-based visitor Pauline, Cape Verde's performance on Monday could be attributed to the fact that they "played with their hearts.""That's all that matters," she said."I thought Spain was going to win the match, but the energy, the speed of Cape Verde was just amazing," added a Congolese supporter who was also visiting the islands for the first time.Many other foreigners were rooting for Cape Verde, the archipelago off the coast of West Africa whose idyllic beaches and landscapes attract about a million tourists every year.Across several neighbourhoods, the country's flags were hoisted on windows, balconies, and even on rooftops. Owners of several vehicles plying the streets rejoiced with symbolic honks and screams, most of them either waving the flag or hanging samples by their car windows.The national team's defensive campaign against a football behemoth such as Spain, raised the hopes of citizens that the squad may even make it beyond the group stage.They will play Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in their next group fixtures which will determine their fate.But even if they fail to go past the initial round, many told the BBC they will remain proud of the players' contribution to lifting the country's image.Additional reporting by the BBC's Michel Mvondo in Praia

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Norway coach Solbakken backs striker to make impact‘He’s played better and better in training,’ 58-year-old saysThe venue where one footballing great’s World Cup journey ended will witness the beginning for another. Little did anybody know at the time that Diego Maradona’s appearance for Argentina against Nigeria in 1994 would be his last on football’s biggest stage. It was then the Foxboro Stadium. Fast forward 32 years. Same place, different name. At the Boston Stadium, Erling Haaland will play in the World Cup for the first time as Norway face Iraq on Tuesday.Careers can be defined by this tournament. It is a reference point, for example, that George Best never featured in one. “I think he is the world’s best goalscorer,” said the Norway head coach, Ståle Solbakken. “He is physically fit. I think he has gradually played better and better in training.“He is where he wants to be and hopefully the team can give him the service he needs to get goals. If you give Erling chances, he has a tendency to score,” Solbakken, who does a decent line in understatement, added.The 58-year-old gave a short shrift to speculation regarding Real Madrid trying to sign Haaland. “We haven’t talked about it at all,” he said. “It doesn’t interest me and I haven’t heard anything about it.”Half a mile from the stadium, the global media representation as Norway completed Monday’s training session told a story. Tore André Flo was regarded as an formidable international striker until Haaland burst on to the scene, smashing all records before him. The amiable Flo was smart enough to talk around a question from a member of the French media over who is the better striker, Haaland or Kylian Mbappé.Flo did, however, assert this is the most talented batch of Norwegian players in history. “I think so, yes,” said the former Chelsea player. “If you look at their abilities with the ball, where they play, we have the top scorer in the Premier League and the captain of the team that won the Premier League. So there are some big superstars in this team. There are now more than two. There are lots of players who can positively decide a result. There are threats on the wings, centrally, the opportunities can come from anywhere. Offensively they are very strong.“That applies a bit of pressure but at the same time it is 28 years since we have been here so they have already achieved something that the Norwegian people are happy about. Yes, there is some pressure but there are a lot of other teams with more pressure than Norway.”Flo shrugged off any sense Haaland could wilt under the weight of expectation. “Every year he is going to a new level,” he said. “He has gone from smaller clubs to bigger and huge clubs. He has continued to do well so it doesn’t seem to affect him. I expect he will just keep on going.”It would be incorrect to regard Martin Ødegaard as a bit-part player in this scene. The Arsenal midfielder is crucial to Norwegian hopes. And, indeed, to chance creation for Haaland. “I am very happy those players are Norwegian,” the Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer says. “It is a huge advantage for us to have two players who are among the best in the world. They come here with a lot of confidence and hopefully they can produce the goals and assists we need. They will always get the most attention but I feel like focus has shifted towards the team. We are humble but very confident.”It is only natural to ponder how the extraordinary Haaland – who averages more than a goal per game at international level – will perform at a World Cup. Iraq provide a favourable start in his quest for the Golden Boot. Senegal and France should offer sterner tests.Solbakken believes he “won’t have to say a lot” to incentivise his team and sought to defuse last week’s row with Scotland, after the cancellation of a training game triggered fury in the Norway camp. “I am finished with that,” Solbakken added. “Now for me it is good luck to Scotland. I have always supported Scotland as a big Liverpool fan; Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish, Steve Nicol. I didn’t like what happened there but that has been over for a long time now. No hard feelings.”Haaland’s World Cup buildup has involved golf with childhood friends in Marbella and taking in game five of the Stanley Cup final during Norway’s training camp in North Carolina. The Manchester City man has confidently predicted his country will get through the group stage. If that happens he would upstage his father.Alf-Inge Haaland was part of the Norway squad which finished bottom of their group when the tournament was held in the US in 1994. In a documentary released on his YouTube channel this week, Erling tries on Alf-Inge’s strip from that tournament. “‘Haaland 18?’” laughs Erling. “Too high a number, that.” His sense of humour is dry. In the same video, he reads out messages written on City strips from the departing Bernardo Silva and John Stones. “I needed you for the Champions League,” wrote Silva. Haaland nodded. “It’s true they couldn’t win the Champions League until I arrived.”That quest for City, Silva and Haaland ended in 2023. In Massachusetts, another one will take flight. Norway’s dreams depend on Haaland. The 25-year-old’s already exalted position in this game will be elevated even further if he seizes the moment.