The Iranian football team started the match with an initial lineup consisting of Alireza Beiranvand, Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Saleh Hardani, Ali Nemati, Saeid Ezatolahi, Ehsan Hajsafi, Ramin Rezaeian, Mohammad Mohebi, Saman Ghoddos, and Mehdi Taremi. Amir Ghalenoei utilized a 5-4-1 formation for this match, which shifted to a 3-5-2 system during offensive phases.
On the other side, Belgium’s head coach, Rudi Garcia, fielded his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a starting lineup of Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Nicolas Raskin, Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard, and Romelu Lukaku.
From the very first minute of the first half, Iran’s football team clearly signaled its tactical plan: a three-layer deep defensive block inside and outside the penalty area, relying on long balls targeted at Mehdi Taremi to exploit counter-attacks. Belgium, finding absolutely no pathways through the center of the Iranian defense, resorted to cross after cross; however, Iran’s tall defensive line intercepted almost all aerial balls.
While this match might have been filled with tension for supporters of Iran or Belgium in the first half, it likely discouraged neutral international spectators from continuing to watch.
