Alireza Beiranvand produced seven saves, including a stunning contender for save of the tournament, as Iran held Belgium to a 0-0 draw at the FIFA World Cup.
The performance capped an extraordinary journey from poverty and homelessness to national hero.
Ten-man Belgium dominated possession but could not break down a disciplined Iranian defence, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand producing a string of saves to preserve the result in the Group G encounter.
Belgium, who missed a slew of scoring chances against Iran on Sunday, have taken only two points from their opening two matches despite entering the tournament as favourites to progress from the group.
Iran twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening World Cup match on Monday after an end-to-end contest played against the backdrop of Iranian fan protests against the government in Tehran.
Iran face an anxious wait to see if they will progress to the World Cup knockout stage after they came from behind to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw.
Iran Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a head injury after colliding with a team-mate during the first half of his nation's game against England in the FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Iran's winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh said on Thursday that the focus of the team will be on the World Cup, not political issues related to the country's nationwide protests.
In a World Cup, which has seen minnows stun favourites, glimpses of four goals to make you smile.
Three-times champions Iran came through an early scare before marching confidently into the Asian Cup quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 attempts with a 2-0 victory over a spirited Oman team.
The United States stormed into the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday by beating Iran 1-0 at a cacophonous Al Thumama Stadium after Christian Pulisic bundled the ball home in a Group B showdown shrouded by decades of enmity between the two nations.
Christian Pulisic has had a season to forget for Chelsea but in the blue shirt of his beloved United States he scored the goal that gave them their first win at the 2022 World Cup and a spot in the last-16.
Aziz Bouhaddouz headed an own goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Iran a stunning 1-0 victory over Morocco in the first Group B game of the World Cup on Friday.
Coach Branko Ivankovic insisted China's World Cup qualifying campaign was still alive despite back-to-back losses to Saudi Arabia and Australia over the last five days leaving them bottom of Asian qualifying Group C.
A foul on Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal's Group B clash against Iran on Monday resulted in a record 19th penalty at the World Cup.
"If I wasn't in Holland, I don't think I would have had that background that really helped shape my ideas."
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group B match played between Portugal and Iran in Saransk on Monday
Carlos Queiroz's players will now fancy their chances after an impressive display
Striker Yuya Osako scored twice in 11 second-half minutes to help send four-times champions Japan into the final of the Asian Cup with a 3-0 victory over tournament favourites Iran on Monday.
We haven't played the best coming into the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do," said Saka, whose last major tournament ended with him missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout.
Qatar's Akram Afif has been named Asian Player of the Year at the Asian Football Confederation's annual awards in Hong Kong on Monday, with Saki Kumagai from Japan claiming the women's prize.
The right-footed Quaresma has scored at least one dozen similar goals during his career and also uses the trivela for passing and crossing.
The repeated use of the technology appeared to contribute to a bad-tempered second half between Iran and Portugal which saw players feigning injury and repeatedly mobbing the referee.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
The 24 sides through from the group phase join the eight third-placed finishers in the Champions League in Monday's draw, including Manchester United and Ajax Amsterdam.
Spain squeezed past dogged Iran 1-0 in their World Cup Group B encounter on Wednesday, thanks to a fortuitous goal from Diego Costa, but the Europeans suffered a string of second-half scares.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Images and summary of all the World Cup 2022 qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Tiny Cape Verde Islands catapulted themselves into surprise World Cup contention with a 2-1 victory away to South Africa.
