There was simply no debate over the moment of the match and it is one that Iran will cherish, even more so if they are to progress to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time. Every angle of Alireza Beiranvand’s preposterous save to prevent Belgium taking the lead approaching the hour added to the miraculousness of it all. Perhaps the most ludicrous element was that Beiranvand appeared to have been eliminated from the game when the ball dropped at the feet of Maxim De Cuyper inside the six-yard box, the goal gaping. Yet, while scrambling on the turf after seesawing to his left in an attempt to intercept Kevin De Bruyne’s rolled cross, Beiranvand stuck out a strong left hand to shut the door in the face of De Cuyper, before smothering the ball.
Presumably, given this summer’s apparent appetite for a goalkeeping cult hero, this all means Beiranvand’s following might now increase tenfold, though as Iran’s longtime No 1 who saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty at the 2018 World Cup, he is no unknown. Just ask Vozinha and Eloy Room how their outstanding performances for Cape Verde and Curaçao respectively have done wonders for their profile. At 33, Beiranvand is a youngster compared to those guys.
