Iran’s hopes of sealing a place in the World Cup knockout phase were dashed in heartbreaking fashion after a stoppage-time winner against Egypt was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to have sent Iran through with a dramatic late goal, only for the celebrations to be cut short when the video review showed an offside infringement. The final whistle soon followed, leaving Iranian players stunned and sprawled on the turf in disbelief.
Despite the setback, Iran—who also came close when Mehdi Taremi hit the bar in the closing moments—remain in contention to advance as one of the tournament’s best eight third-placed teams.
The match in Seattle was high-octane from the start, with Egypt taking an early lead through Mahmoud Saber in the fifth minute. Iran had a golden chance to equalize soon after when Mehdi Taremi earned a penalty, but missed. Ramin Rezaeian quickly made amends, scoring from a tight angle to level the match.
Egypt, who had already secured their first-ever knockout stage appearance before kickoff thanks to results elsewhere, continued to press, with Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush adding attacking energy in the second half. Mohamed Salah was substituted in the 57th minute, visibly frustrated as he left the pitch, but is expected to play a key role in Egypt’s next round match against Australia.
For Iran, the rollercoaster finish means their fate hangs in the balance, with knockout hopes still alive but far from guaranteed.
