Iran draw 2-2 with New Zealand in politically charged World Cup match

Elijah Just scored both of New Zealand’s goals in either half; Rezaeian and Mohebbi levelled for Iran in Group G game.Iran twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand in an exciting World Cup clash at Los Angeles Stadium as Protests against Tehran’s government and a peace deal signed to end the Iran-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="107864" data-entity-type="event">US-Iran war formed a charged backdrop to the match.High security presence and protests outside the venue were among the off-field concerns surrounding the match on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Meet Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old star goalkeeper at the World Cuplist 2 of 4Dogged Saudi Arabia hold Uruguay to a draw in World Cup openerlist 3 of 4FIFA clears World Cup referee accused of making white supremacist gesturelist 4 of 4Egypt hold Belgium to 1-1 draw in opening World Cup gameend of listAnd when New Zealand took an early lead through Elijah Just’s volleyed shot from inside the box, after being set up by Chris Wood, some fans critical of the Iranian government celebrated with New Zealand supporters.Many of these anti-regime spectators also carried Iran’s pre-Islamic Revolution Lion and Sun flag, against FIFA’s rules. Several also booed Iran’s national anthem before kickoff.Fans of IR Iran hold up the nations flag before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between IR Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California [Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP]But most of the crowd of more than 70,000 appeared firmly behind Team Melli, chanting “Ir-ran! Ir-ran!” and erupting when Ramin Rezaeian equalised shortly after the half-hour mark.Rezaeian, one of several Iran players who had not played club football since February after the domestic league was suspended amid US and Israeli air strikes, reacted quickest to a blocked shot and poked the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.Wood and Just combined again early in the second half, the New Zealand captain sliding a precise pass into the 26-year-old forward’s path before Just hammered home to restore the All Whites’ lead.