Iran 2-2 New Zealand Stats: Just and Rezaeian Impress in Thrilling Group G Draw
Iran and New Zealand split 2-2 in a high-scoring World Cup Group G opener, with Elijah Just scoring twice for New Zealand and Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi equalizing for Iran. All four teams in Group G now sit on one point after Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt. Iran’s coach claims the team was ordered to leave the U.S. shortly after the match, though this has not been independently confirmed. Key milestones were set by Just, Wood, and Rezaeian during the match.
What changed
New details on player milestones, match timeline, and Iran’s post-match departure claim have been added.
Live updates
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Iran 2-2 New Zealand: Just’s brace falls short as Rezaeian and Mohebbi level Group G opener
confidence 98%Iran and New Zealand split 2-2 in a high-scoring World Cup Group G opener, with Elijah Just scoring twice for New Zealand and Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi equalizing for Iran. All four teams in Group G now sit on one point after Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt. Iran’s coach claims the team was ordered to leave the U.S. shortly after the match, though this has not been independently confirmed. Key milestones were set by Just, Wood, and Rezaeian during the match.
What's confirmed:
- Iran scored twice to draw 2-2 with New Zealand in their World Cup Group G opener at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.
- Elijah Just scored twice (7’ and 54’) for New Zealand, becoming the first All White to score a World Cup brace and the first Motherwell FC player to score at a World Cup.
- Ramin Rezaeian (32’) and Mohammad Mohebbi (64’) scored for Iran, with Rezaeian also providing an assist, making him the first Iranian with a goal and assist in a single World Cup game.
- Chris Wood became the first New Zealand player with multiple World Cup assists and the first to feature in two World Cups.
- New Zealand matched their entire 2010 World Cup shots-on-target count in the first 30 minutes of this match.
- All four Group G teams (Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, Egypt) now sit on one point after the draws.
Still unconfirmed:
- Iran’s coach claims the team was ordered to leave the U.S. shortly after the match, though this has not been independently verified.
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Iran 2-2 New Zealand: Just’s brace cancels out Rezaeian’s heroics in Group G thriller
confidence 98%Iran and New Zealand settled for a 2-2 draw in their World Cup Group G opener at SoFi Stadium, with Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi scoring for Iran to cancel out Elijah Just’s brace. The match saw Iran twice come from behind in a high-scoring, politically charged fixture. All four Group G teams now sit on one point after Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt earlier. Iran’s coach claims the team was ordered to leave the U.S. shortly after the match.
What's confirmed:
- Iran and New Zealand played to a 2-2 draw in their World Cup Group G opener at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, on Monday, June 15, 2026.
- Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand, with Chris Wood assisting both goals.
- Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi scored Iran’s goals, with Rezaeian providing the assist for Mohebbi’s equalizer.
- Iran twice came from behind to secure the draw, marking their first World Cup points since 2018.
- All four teams in Group G—Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt—now sit on one point after the match.
- The match took place amid politically charged circumstances, with Iran’s team reportedly ordered to leave the U.S. shortly after the game.
- Iran’s coach stated the team was instructed to return to its training base in Mexico only hours after the match.
Still unconfirmed:
- Iran’s coach suggested the team’s departure was due to unspecified political pressures following the match.