Elijah Just Scores Twice in 2-2 Draw, Spain Football World Cup

New Zealand opened the spain football world cup with a 2-2 draw against Iran, and Elijah Just scored both goals. The All Whites led twice, but they left with one point after defensive mistakes brought Iran back into the match.

Just puts New Zealand ahead

Just’s two goals gave New Zealand the kind of start it needed in its 2026 World Cup campaign. His first and second finishes put the All Whites in front twice before Iran answered each time.

That left Darren Bazeley with mixed emotions after the match. He said he was “Extremely proud of the players, the work rate and the performance,” but added that New Zealand came away disappointed not to win after leading twice.

Bazeley also pointed to the chances his side created and the control it had for long stretches. He said New Zealand “created loads of chances,” was “really, really good in possession,” and defended “pretty well for the majority,” yet still missed the win it had put itself in position to claim.

Darren Bazeley sees a missed chance

The coach said New Zealand had a chance to make history by winning a game at a World Cup and “came really close.” The draw kept the All Whites in the game, but it also left the margin for error small after those defensive lapses.

Just accepted the result with the same split view. He said, “It’s really, really special, you know we had a lot of goals going into this tournament, and the first was to get on the board, so one point is okay and there’s a lot of positives we can keep building on,” while also noting, “To start with a point, I think everyone is happy but it could’ve been better.”

His night carried another mark as well. Just became the All Whites’ all-time leading goal scorer at the World Cup, a status he called “obviously just incredible,” adding that it was not something he could have dreamt of.

Group G and Egypt next

The draw left New Zealand top of Group G after Belgium and Egypt also took a point each earlier in the day. That turns a split opening round into a first-place start, even with only one match played.

Just said New Zealand had been together for a long time and had been unfortunate to miss out on the last World Cup, which made the opener feel especially meaningful. He also said the team knows it has “tough opponents” ahead after watching the Egypt-Belgium game.

New Zealand now moves on to Egypt at 1pm NZ time on June 22. The opener delivered a point, two goals from Just, and a place at the top of the group, but the handling of the lead will sit with the All Whites until the next match.