England are held by the United States as Iran beat Wales by 10 men

Natalie Portman
By Natalie Portman 7 Min Read
origin 1England’s Harry Maguire (L) battles for the ball with United States’ Josh Sargent (C) and Tim Ream during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B football match between England and United States at Al Bayt Stadium. Robert Michael/dpa

A lackluster England were held to a 0-0 draw by the United States in their World Cup Group B match on Friday, with Iran reviving their last 16 hopes with a 2-0 victory over tired Wales.

The Three Lions, famously beaten by the United States at the 1950 World Cup, could have been the first team to reach the Qatar round of 16 with a win, but instead will be happy to walk away with a draw as the Americans had the best chance.

Qatar have already seen their fifth 0-0 draw, with their record for the entire tournament not far off at seven.

England’s impressive goal difference gives them a huge lead, with group qualification now going to the last round of matches on Tuesday. England faces Wales in a battle against Great Britain and the United States faces Iran in a match with political implications.

England were unchanged from 6-2 against Iran in their first game, Harry Kane fit after a foot problem, but were unusually ponderous from the start against the Americans.

“It was definitely not our best performance,” Kane said. “It was a complete contrast to the other game against Iran. Overall, we were facing a tough team and we’re going forward.”

The USA were bolder than the 1-1 draw with Wales and dominated in the first half. Haji Wright, the only new name in the starting lineup, headed wide before Weston McKennie shot high and Christian Pulisic hit the bar.

Kane blocked an early attempt and Mason Mount saved England’s best chance in the first half.

Nervous atmosphere among England fans shrouded in Al Khor’s Al-Bayt Stadium with Bukayo Saka, who shone against a particularly struggling Iran.

The United States fell back in the second half and defended superbly as a unit when needed, giving England little room to work with.

“Anytime you can be knocked out during the World Cup it’s a good thing,” said United States coach Gregg Berhalter, whose team are two points clear so far against Iran in the group final.

“We know five points gets us in, we need to focus on the five points.”

Due to a lack of pace, England manager Gareth Southgate brought in winger Jack Grealish but also defensive midfielder Jordan Henderson for the ineffective Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham.

The European runners-up had more possession as the game went on but only set up Kane’s header wide, with Marcus Rashford’s introduction not helping and the fans booing at the end.

Defender Harry Maguire said: “We weren’t at our best but ultimately it’s a point that puts us in a strong position in the pack. We had to work hard out there. We weren’t clinical, we weren’t ruthless enough in the final third “.

Improved Iran earlier scored two goals in stoppage time for a highly deserved win over 10-man Wales to stay in the World Cup and ruin Gareth Bale’s record 110 caps.

Roozbeh Cheshmi eight minutes of added time and Ramin Rezaeian another three minutes sealed Wales’ fate, who had goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey sent off in the 88th minute after dismissing Mehdi Teremi.

Iran were the better and unlucky side as Sardar Azmoun and Ali Gholizadeh hit the left and right post within seconds shortly after the restart, while Wales’ best opportunities came early from Kieffer Moore and late from Ben Davies.

Hennessey was the first player to be sent off in Qatar and Bale was not a factor this time after he saved the 1-1 draw against the United States with a penalty in their first group match.

Iran, with five new players, have shown a very different face since their opening defeat to England and can reach the knockout stages for the first time at their sixth attempt, while Wales need a miracle.

Iran won their only other World Cup duel with the United States, 2-1 in 1998.

“A wonderful day for us,” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz told the BBC. “This is just the beginning, but we have to finish the job. All due respect to my players, today they have shown that they love playing football.”

Bale said: “We’re gutted, there’s no other way to put it. We fought until the last second and we have to start again. It will certainly be difficult for us. We’ll have to see. We recover and we have to start again”.

Iranian players sang the national anthem this time after going silent against England in an apparent protest against their regime and in connection with wide-ranging protests at home as large numbers of fans appeared to boo.

origin 1England’s Harry Kane (L) and USA’s Tyler Adams battle for the ball during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B football match between England and USA at Al Bayt Stadium. Robert Michael/dpa
origin 1United States’ Timothy Weah (L) and England’s Luke Shaw battle for the ball during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B football match between England and United States at Al Bayt Stadium. Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

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