Belgium set for USA clash after VAR denies Iran in Seattle
A last-gasp VAR offside reversal saved Egypt and finalized Belgium’s path to a likely round-of-16 clash with the USA, leaving Spain as the dominant European force in that section of the bracket.
Iran thought they had snatched a place in the knockout stages at Lumen Field, only for a VAR offside ruling to disallow Milad Khalilzadeh’s 90th-minute goal. The narrowest of margins kept Egypt in second place and left Iran facing a nerve-wracking 24 hours out of control of their own destiny.
Prediction markets still price Team Melli at an 80% chance to advance, but their fate now rests on tomorrow’s matches. Algeria v Austria, DR Congo v Uzbekistan, and Croatia v Ghana must all go against Iran to deny them progress.
For European sides, the result finalized the immediate bracket. Belgium have advanced to the round of 32 in Seattle, where bookmakers make them odds-on to meet the USA in the next round.
Spain looms as the major threat in that quarter of the draw following their decisive victory over Uruguay. That result eliminated Uruguay, alongside Turkey, in what were considered the major shocks of the group stage.
Uruguay’s exit came in disgrace, leaving Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy with the national team in serious question. “I have not left anything to Uruguayan football,” Bielsa said. “A coach who has been in a country for three years and not got results cannot say he has made a contribution.”
Bielsa pointed to a failure to convert potential into tangible results. “We could have seven points but we have two,” he added. “This is the result of my management. It was my job to manage a group of players that I did not manage to turn into a force.”
Beyond the bracket implications, the climax in Seattle reignited debates over technology’s impact on the sport. Critics argued the marginal offside call was evidence of how VAR has negatively altered the rule for the worse.
The incident underscored a growing frustration with the spectacle. Teams can no longer celebrate a momentous goal without the immediate fear of the joy being overturned. Egypt will now face Australia in Dallas, with the winner likely to encounter Argentina.
