Iran made World Cup history on Saturday by naming the oldest starting line-up ever seen at the tournament, but the experienced side still had enough quality to earn a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Belgium in California.

The Iranian team started the match with an average age of more than 32 years, setting a new World Cup record. Despite their age, they matched Belgium throughout the contest and came close to securing all three points.

Iran thought they had taken the lead in the first half through striker Mehdi Taremi. Captain Ehsan Hajisafi cleverly rolled a free-kick around the Belgian wall for Taremi, who turned and fired past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside.

While Iran’s squad was the oldest in World Cup history, it was Belgium who appeared short of energy at times. The 2018 World Cup semi-finalists dominated possession, enjoying 81 per cent of the ball in the opening half, but created very few clear chances.

Kevin De Bruyne saw an effort blocked, while Maxim De Cuyper forced a save from Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, but Belgium struggled to break down the organised Iranian defence.

Iran continued to threaten after the break. Taremi tested Courtois with a powerful effort before Belgium responded through De Cuyper, whose close-range shot was saved by Beiranvand.

Belgium’s task became more difficult in the 65th minute when defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off. The defender panicked after a poor backpass and brought down Taremi as the Iranian forward raced towards goal.

With a numerical advantage, Iran pushed for a winner, but Courtois produced another important save to deny Saeid Ezatolahi’s long-range strike.

Belgium also had late opportunities, with De Cuyper going close again, but neither side could find a breakthrough.

The draw leaves both teams with plenty to play for heading into their final group matches, while Iran’s veteran squad continued to prove that experience can still be a valuable weapon on football’s biggest stage.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has some advice for Lamine Yamal, the Spain prodigy who just scored at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 18-year-old was on target in their Group H clash with Saudi Arabia as the reigning European champions cruised to a massive 4-0 victory in Atlanta.

Racing into the box, Yamal latched onto a cross from Mikel Oyarzabal to make a sliding finish near the post to put Spain 1-0 up and score his first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Given his prodigious talents, the Spanish dynamite is often billed as a future legend who could match the records of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for club and country.

But ex-manager Frank had some advice for him when speaking about Lamine Yamal’s performance tonight on the BBC:

“These tap-in goals of Lamine Yamal, he needs to score them MUCH more if he wants to reach the highest level like Ronaldo and Messi.”

The former Spurs manager is implying that Yamal needs to score a high volume of goals to enter the same bracket as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom have netted over 900 times throughout their illustrious careers.

Their blistering exploits have seen them play an instrumental role for all their sides, guiding them to numerous trophies, while also picking up individual accolades such as the prestigious Ballon d’Or along the way.

Lamine Yamal, who is just three weeks away from turning 19, has accomplished a lot in his nascent career already. He’s won three LaLiga titles with Barcelona in addition to three more domestic cups (one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Supercups) while helping Spain win a fourth Euro Cup title in 2024.

He was awarded the LaLiga Player of the Season honor for the 2025-26 season while also finishing as the runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in last year’s Ballon d’Or rankings.

Since breaking onto the scene in 2023, Lamine Yamal has scored 49 goals and assisted 52 times for the Catalans, while netting seven times and making 12 assists for Spain’s national team too.

Lamine Yamal opens his World Cup account as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo close out theirs

With a goal today, Lamine Yamal officially opened his goalscoring account at the FIFA World Cup – a first of potentially many to come in the years ahead.

But as he looks to make his mark on the biggest stage of them all, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo play their last World Cups with their respective national teams.

It marks the end of an era for two of football’s modern-day greats, while Lamine Yamal’s rise simultaneously weaves a new story, one that could emulate the outgoing legends someday.