SEATTLE: Iran suffered late heartbreak as a stoppage-time winner was ruled out by VAR in a dramatic 1-1 draw against Egypt, leaving their FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout qualification hopes hanging by a thread on Friday.
Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he had secured a priceless victory when he fired home deep into stoppage time after Egypt failed to clear their lines.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside, silencing the Iranian celebrations.
The final whistle followed shortly after, with Iran’s players collapsing to the turf in disbelief as a victory that would have guaranteed a place in the Round of 32 slipped away.
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Despite the setback, Iran remain in contention to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams in the FIFA World Cup 2026. They finished the group stage with three points and must now wait for results elsewhere to determine their fate.
Egypt, meanwhile, had already secured their historic qualification for the knockout stage before kick-off after favourable results in other groups. The Pharaohs advanced to the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
The match burst into life early as Egypt took the lead in the fifth minute through Mahmoud Saber, who calmly finished to give his side the perfect start.
Iran had an immediate chance to respond when Mehdi Taremi won a penalty just five minutes later, but the striker failed to convert from the spot.
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The equaliser eventually arrived moments later, with Ramin Rezaeian finishing from a tight angle to bring Iran back into the contest.
Taremi came close again late in normal time when his powerful header crashed against the crossbar before Iran believed they had found a dramatic winner through Khalilzadeh, only for VAR to intervene.
Egypt introduced Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush after the break, and the substitute almost restored their lead with a curling effort that took a deflection before going behind for a corner.
Star forward Mohamed Salah was withdrawn in the 57th minute and appeared visibly frustrated as he made way for Zizo, although the Egypt captain is expected to play a key role when his side face Australia in the Round of 32.
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