Belgium’s World Cup campaign remains on shaky ground after they were held to a goalless draw by Iran in Los Angeles on Sunday, leaving the Red Devils at risk of a second consecutive group-stage elimination.

Despite boasting a star-studded lineup featuring Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, Belgium struggled to break down a disciplined Iranian side and were arguably fortunate to emerge with a point after creating few clear-cut chances.

Iran came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when Mehdi Taremi found the back of the net from a cleverly worked free-kick routine. However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review for offside.

Belgium’s task became even more difficult in the second half when defender Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card for bringing down Taremi after a costly misplaced backpass left the striker through on goal.

The stalemate means all three matches played so far in Group G have ended in draws, leaving the group finely balanced heading into the final round of fixtures.

Belgium now sit on two points and will look to secure qualification when they face tournament debutants New Zealand in their final group match. Iran, meanwhile, will need at least a draw against Egypt to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

Iran’s preparations have been complicated by visa and travel issues between their base camp in Mexico and match venues in the United States. However, reports suggest travel restrictions have been eased ahead of their decisive clash in Seattle.

With qualification still up for grabs, both teams head into their final group matches knowing that a place in the knockout rounds remains within reach.