Elijah Just Scores Twice as New Zealand Draw 2-2 at Fifa Soccer World Cup
Elijah Just scored twice and New Zealand drew 2-2 with Iran on Monday in its opening fifa soccer world cup match. The result put the tournament’s lowest-ranked team into a point shared after a game that kept swinging back the other way.
Just Puts New Zealand Ahead
Just gave New Zealand both of its goals, and each one forced Iran to chase the match again. Chris Wood created New Zealand’s early counterattack goal before the finishing touch landed with Just.
Iran answered twice. Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi scored the equalizers that kept the match level at 2-2 and denied New Zealand a breakthrough win in its first World Cup outing.
Iran Plays Through Pressure
The draw came in a setting that had been heavy long before kickoff. Iran’s World Cup campaign was overshadowed by war, politics and protests, and its presence at Los Angeles Stadium had long felt uncertain after months of military conflict between Iran and the United States.
Iran also faced delayed and refused US visas before arriving at the tournament, and the team moved its training camp to Mexico at the last minute. Hundreds of protesters against Iran’s ruling regime demonstrated outside the venue on Monday, while inside the stadium the Iran anthem drew boos and cheers.
Ghalenoei Stays With The Message
On the eve of the game, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said his players would not “pay attention to any of the hype.” His team backed that up with two comeback goals, even if the night still ended with a shared result against New Zealand.
Across Tuesday, all four fifa soccer world cup matches ended in draws for the first time in 68 years, a run that matched the day’s stubborn scorelines. For New Zealand, the point from a 2-2 opening match leaves Just’s double as the sharpest early marker of its tournament.
