A legendary soccer player fell asleep during the World Cup match between Belgium and Iran
Legendary Swedish soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović openly criticized the 2026 World Cup match between the national teams of Belgium and Iran, which ended in a scoreless draw.
The former striker admitted that the lackluster nature of the game and the absence of goals caused him to fall asleep right in the middle of the broadcast.
The eccentric Swede did not hold back his emotions when describing his impressions of the match.
“I almost fell asleep in the first half. During the second half, I actually fell asleep. There’s nothing more to say about this match,” Ibrahimović said.
This statement by the global soccer star quickly spread across the media, underscoring the dull nature of the match.
The group stage match itself turned out to be extremely tense but unspectacular. From the opening minutes, the Belgians seized the initiative and regularly threatened Alireza Beiranvand’s goal.
As early as the 9th minute, Maxim De Keper had a dangerous follow-up shot after a strike by Kevin De Bruyne, but the Iranian goalkeeper saved his team.
Later, Beiranvand also dealt with shots from Youri Tielemans and De Keper himself, while at the other end of the field, Thibaut Courtois brilliantly reacted to an attempt by Hossein Kanaani.
The most dangerous moment of the first half occurred in front of the European team’s goal, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul. In the 25th minute, the Iranians executed a clever free kick, after which Mehdi Taremi sent the ball into the net.
However, after a VAR review, the referee ruled it offside and disallowed the goal. Before halftime, Belgium had more possession and dominated the game, but they were unable to get past Beiranvand.
In the second half, the situation on the field changed significantly after a serious foul by a Belgian player.
In the 66th minute, Nathan N’Goy used his hands to stop Taremi, who was breaking through one-on-one with Courtois. The referee showed the Belgian defender a straight red card, and Belgium was reduced to 10 men.
Despite Iran’s numerical advantage, neither team ultimately managed to find the back of the net. The match ended in a scoreless draw.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the second round of group stage matches took place.
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