Belgium held 0–0 by Iran as Egypt pull clear in Group G

0–0 against Iran, and the math gets worse

Belgium 0–0 Iran. A second straight draw, and this one stings worse than the first (2) (5). Egypt beat New Zealand 1–3 earlier Monday, with Mo Salah scoring and dancing his way to the top of Group G (4). Your team now sits on two points through two matches, Egypt have four. One game left against New Zealand, and nothing less than a win keeps you in the tournament. The equation is brutal and simple.

De Bruyne nowhere near his level

Kevin De Bruyne is not showing up. Not in the opener, not against Iran, and not across the last two tournaments either, HLN notes he has managed only a single 7/10 rating across both the 2024 Euros and the 2022 World Cup (1). Doku and Lukaku have also gone quiet at the wrong time. This was supposed to be a reboot after the Golden Generation, but the biggest names are still the ones underdelivering.

'Without Courtois we'd already be going home'

Jan Ceulemans did not hold back. The former Red Devil told Nieuwsblad: "Courtois is the only one playing at the level we expect. Without him we might already be heading home" (6). Courtois kept the clean sheet against Iran, and that is about the only thing keeping Belgium alive right now.

Rudi Garcia under heavy fire

The manager is taking heat. VI calls Rudi Garcia "one of the worst coaches at this World Cup" (3). Questions are also swirling about Mika Godts, the young Ajax attacker was left out of the squad entirely, and that decision looks harder to defend with every lifeless attacking performance.

Fan reactions

The mood among Belgium fans is grim, two draws against beatable opponents has drained the cautious optimism that was there before the opener. But on Reddit, a moment of nostalgia cut through the frustration: one fan posted a clip of Jean-Marie Pfaff's legendary 1986 semifinal save against Spain, exactly 40 years ago to the day. A reminder that this team, in another era, found a way. Link