Iran 0-1 USA LIVE! Pulisic seals win – World Cup 2022 result, match stream and latest updates today

Iran vs USA - LIVE!

The USA produced an assured display to beat Iran 1-0 and reach the last 16 of the World Cup. Draws against Wales and England left Gregg Berhalter and his side in control of their own destiny, but they needed three points against Iran – which they duly got at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Christian Pulisic’s goal just before half time gave the USMNT a deserved victory, although the Chelsea star injured himself in the process and had to be taken off before the second half started. It means the USA will face the Netherlands in the next round. Iran are out, having failed to produce anything of note in the attacking third on the night.

England top Group B having beatean Wales 3-0 in their final game, with USA second, Iran third and Rob Page’s side bottom. See how this game unfolded on Standard Sport’s live blog below.

Iran vs USA latest news

• FULL TIME! USA through

• GOAL! Pulisic breaks the deadlock

• KICK OFF

• How to watch: BBC Two

Iran 0 - 1 United States

21:09 , Dominic Booth

Here’s the match report after USA clinch themselves a deserved spot in the knockout stages of this World Cup.

They’ve impressed in the tournament and should give the Netherlands a good game.

FULL TIME

21:03 , Dominic Booth

Some heroic defending by the likes of Zimmerman and Carter-Vickers keeps the Iran long balls at bay. There were appeals for a penalty in the dying embers there, but...

... it just hasn’t happened for the Asian nation; VAR says no. The final whistle goes and the USA are deservedly through to the last 16.

21:00 , Dominic Booth

96 mins: Time is running out for Iran here. They can’t even get the ball at the moment.

20:57 , Dominic Booth

93 mins: Was that the chance? Pouraliganji throws himself at a free kick, trying to direct a near post header in.

He holds his head with his hands.

20:55 , Dominic Booth

92 mins: Iran need to throw bodies forward. The USA remain organised and vigilant at the back.

It’s this goal that separates them.

Added time

20:52 , Dominic Booth

90 mins: Don’t relax, USA fans, we’ve got nine added minutes to come. Nine!

20:51 , Dominic Booth

87 mins: Moore with a mis-hit at the back post after some good play by Musah. That might have made it 2-0 and put the game to bed.

20:49 , Dominic Booth

85 mins: Huff and puff for Iran. Torabi is closed out on the edge of the box. Adams is doing a brilliant job in front of his defence for the Americans.

20:47 , Dominic Booth

83 mins: There’s a very brief VAR check for a possible handball after Turner comes out to claim a cross that is partially deflected off his own defender. That was never a penalty.

20:46 , Dominic Booth

82 mins: Sergino Dest, take a bow. What a game he’s had.

He’s substituted, and so is Weah. Zimmerman and Moore on.

20:45 , Dominic Booth

81 mins: Weah concedes a free-kick, just where Iran would want one.

USA must keep their discipline. This is a platform for a possible equaliser...

20:43 , Dominic Booth

79 mins: That has to be a foul by Carter-Vickers on Ghoddos, no? The Spanish officials don’t seem to think so, and Queiroz isn’t happy. It was deep in American territory.

20:41 , Dominic Booth

77 mins: A booking for Hosseini. Aaronson and Sargeant both feeling injuries after meaty Iranian challenges.

And indeed Sargeant is being replaced by Haji Wright up front.

20:40 , Dominic Booth

76 mins: Iran steel themselves for another go at USA, but there’s actually not been a clearcut chance for them all game.

20:38 , Dominic Booth

74 mins: It’s still the USMNT making most of the running, but Iran’s counter has sharpened up in the second half.

Sargeant has found himself on his backside a few times this half. Looks like he might have tweaked his ankle, there.

Subs

20:35 , Dominic Booth

71 mins: Ezatolahi sends a dipping and swerving shot just over Turner’s goal. Nice effort from a long old way out.

Torabi and Jalali are the men coming on for Iran.

20:33 , Dominic Booth

69 mins: Musah with a free kick in a very dangerous spot. He goes for precision and misses the target. That was a really good chance to double the lead.

20:31 , Dominic Booth

67 mins: 3-0, England, by the way.

Join the fun over on this link, if you like. More tension and more at stake right here, mind you.

20:28 , Dominic Booth

65 mins: It’s easy to forget, given Iran’s rather toothless performance so far, that they only need one goal and they’ll be through.

They need to start playing like they can get that goal.... maybe here... Ghoddos has been lively since coming on and he fires a fantastic chance just wide. Wow.

20:26 , Dominic Booth

63 mins: Rezaeian keeps getting himself in crossing positions, but there’s been very little for him to aim at.

20:25 , Dominic Booth

61 mins: Iran aren’t short of support here at the Al Thumama Stadium.

20:24 , Dominic Booth

60 mins: Taremi needs to keep himself onside. He’s Iran’s best and now main outlet up top, with Azmoun going off.

Queiroz’s perpetual frustrated look doesn’t look like changing. McKennie gets clattered and USA have a free-kick... Iran’s players are looking frustrated too.

20:20 , Dominic Booth

57 mins: Aaronson’s got a lovely pair of feet on him. Tries to drive through a couple of challenges down the left and win’s his side a corner.

He’s a fantastic replacement for Pulisic, no downgrade at all.

20:18 , Dominic Booth

55 mins: Some space is opening up for Iran on the break, with Taremi’s pace causing a few issues for Carter-Vickers.

Queiroz’s men aren’t out of this.

20:17 , Dominic Booth

53 mins: Half an opportunity for the substitute Ghoddos, but it’s a very difficult header.

Finally, the right-back Rezaeian – who scored an impudent chip late on against Wales and was mightily impressive – is getting forward.

20:14 , Dominic Booth

51 mins: Goodness me, it’s 2-0 to England. The Three Lions look like they’ll be topping the group, barring something impressive and miraculous from Wales.

Here, Sargeant gets a whack in the back for his troubles, with Iran trying to get a little physical.

20:12 , Dominic Booth

49 mins: More good football from the USA, with Aaronson already making an impact. Corner.

20:12 , Dominic Booth

48 mins: England have taken the lead against Wales. That’s good news for both these two teams, in truth.

Iran’s fate is in their own hands.

20:08 , Dominic Booth

46 mins: Leeds star Brenden Aaronson is coming on the USA at half time, and it’s Pulisic who has gone off – he clearly can’t continue after that injury.

Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos is on for Iran. Azmoun cannot continue for them, which is a blow.

SECOND HALF

20:06 , Dominic Booth

Right, we’re back under way.

20:01 , Dominic Booth

In case you’re living in a delightful Iran and USA bubble, England versus Wales is 0-0 at half-time, by the way.

Sounds like England have dominated without scoring. You can follow that here.

First half thoughts

19:55 , Dominic Booth

If Weah had been onside then, it would have been a deserved 2-0 lead for Greg Berghalter’s side. They’ve made all the running in this game, proving again that they’re a very able team.

Iran are still in it, though. They showed against Wales what fighting spirit they have, and they can be a threat on the break, if they can just keep the USA at bay.

HALF TIME

19:53 , Dominic Booth

That was an incredibly satisying half if you’re an American supporter.

They’ve been well on top and they have the goal they deserve through the effervescent Pulisic. Dest and Musah have also impressed. 1-0.

It might have been 2-0 with Weah going through and finding the net just before half-time but the flag went up.

19:48 , Dominic Booth

47 mins: Mohammadi is going to play no further part for Iran. He’s signalled to the bench that he cannot continue after a tweak to the ankle. That’s a blow.

19:47 , Dominic Booth

45 mins: Goodness me that is a massive chance for the States. They had an overload, breaking away through Sargeant and Weah and somehow butcher the chance, trying to overplay it.

Big let off for Iran.

Added time

19:46 , Dominic Booth

45 mins: We’re getting five added minutes here.

19:44 , Dominic Booth

43 mins: USA coach Berghalter has told his substitutes they won’t be needed, as Pulisic shakes himself down and prepares to continue.

In the mean time, Adams is booked for a cynical foul to stop an Iran counter.

19:42 , Dominic Booth

41 mins: Will Pulisic be able to continue after scoring that goal?

There’s a lengthy delay while he gets treatment in the goalmouth, he clearly took a big knock. He looks groggy.

GOAL! Iran 0-1 USA | Pulisic ‘38

19:39 , Dominic Booth

Pulisic makes it 1-0! He bravely throws himself at a nodded Dest cross and bundles home from close range.

He may have hurt himself in the process but it’s a precious lead for the USA.

19:38 , Dominic Booth

37 mins: The USA fans get behind their team as Pulisic sends in another corner...

Nicely pulled back to Dest but Taremi reads it well to close down the AC Milan right-back.

19:36 , Dominic Booth

35 mins: What do Iran do, here? They know a point might well be enough for them to qualify, but it’ll be a tense evening for them if they try to hold on.

They need to offer more.

19:35 , Dominic Booth

34 mins: Another half chance for Weah, and again it comes from Dest who is creating mayhem down the right. Sargeant lays it off but Weah blazes it over the bar, he was off balance.

19:33 , Dominic Booth

31 mins: Noorollahi is down and looks in some pain. He was caught when trying to jink through the USA defence on his own. Carter-Vickers shoulder-checked into him with a lot of force.

19:30 , Dominic Booth

29 mins: If you’re following us here, by all accounts you chose the more entertaining game.

19:29 , Dominic Booth

28 mins: Sargeant’s deflected effort pops up and Weah opts to nod it towards goal, rather than wait and take a touch. Pulisic’s dancing feet created that opening. A bit of a panic from Weah, who might actually have been offside in any case.

19:27 , Dominic Booth

27 mins: There’s some vigorous arm-waving going on from Carlos Queiroz on the sidelines. He won’t be happy with what he’s seen so far. Iran’s midfield have been dominated so far. There’s very little service into the potent front two.

Corner to the States.

19:26 , Dominic Booth

25 mins: Another good run by Weah, but he runs out of space again. USA knocking on the Iranian door, here.

19:24 , Dominic Booth

23 mins: Oh that’s a lovely turn from Musah, he looks a real top player. Weah makes the run off him, dashes to the byline, but gets crowded out.

As it stands

19:23 , Dominic Booth

22 mins: Midway through the half, and with England versus Wales also goalless at the moment, it’s worth mentioning the ‘as it stands’ data.

Two draws in this game mean England would top the group and Iran finish second.

19:21 , Dominic Booth

20 mins: After a high-octane opening, perhaps fuelled by the noise in the stands and how much is at stake, the game has just settled down a bit.

The USA look the more likely to break the deadlock.

19:18 , Dominic Booth

17 mins: Another good USA cross from out wide, Dest pulling it back but the keeper Beyranvand gets a touch before anyone else.

19:18 , Dominic Booth

16 mins: Azmoun is trying to find space in behind the USA back line. Tim Ream doesn’t want to be turning back and chasing him.

At the other end, Robinson’s cross from the left flies across the box.

19:16 , Dominic Booth

15 mins: The USA impressed against England with their discipline and shape and the same is on display here, shutting out Iran whenever they go forward. Musah and Pulisic have been impressive so far.

19:14 , Dominic Booth

13 mins: Some nice one-touch stuff from the US here.

They’re certainly bossing possession.

19:13 , Dominic Booth

11 mins: A good climb from Pulisic to meet Musah’s searching cross, but the Chelsea star cannot get enough purchase on it and it’s straight at the goalkeeper.

19:11 , Dominic Booth

9 mins: Fairly unconvincing by Beyranvand as he comes out and half-punches clear a Dest cross.

Musah tries his luck with a volley as the ball drops, but it’s way over.

19:08 , Dominic Booth

7 mins: There might be a few vuvuzelas in the crowd tonight. It sounds that way, anyway.

19:07 , Dominic Booth

6 mins: It’s Iran’s turn to threaten. They’re looking for Taremi and Azmoun to link up in attack, which they do, although the crosses from out wide are a little off-target on this occasion.

A long throw eventually ends up in the hands of Turner.

19:05 , Dominic Booth

4 mins: Plenty of early promise for the blue shirts of USA so far. They’re playing with far more intent than we saw in their opening two games, with Dest playing very high up from right-back.

The crowd are incredibly loud.

19:04 , Dominic Booth

3 mins: Pulisic is looking electric early doors, Hosseini just abot gets across to thwart him.

Direct start!

19:02 , Dominic Booth

2 mins: As they said on BBC commentary, welcome to fans from Scotland and Northern Ireland... might be the same for tonight’s live blog audience, although there’s probably a hefty amount of USA and Irans fans, as well as neutrals, given tonight’s stakes.

An early free-kick for Iran.

KICK OFF

19:01 , Dominic Booth

Feels like a really big game, this. We’re under way to a cacophony of sound!

(The Iranian players did sing the anthem, and it was again booed, by the way)

18:53 , Dominic Booth

The anthems should be interesting tonight. Iran fans have routinely booed their own anthem, in protest at political events going on back home, while the USA fans will no doubt belt out Star Spangled Banner.

The teams are about to come out.

18:40 , Dominic Booth

A reminder of tonight’s teams for you, in this crucial Group B clash:

Warm-ups

18:31 , Dominic Booth

No Jahanbakhsh

18:07 , Dominic Booth

Former Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh won’t be involved for Iran today, as he’s suspended after picking up two bookings in the opening two games.

Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand is back, though, following his nasty concussion against England, with stand-in Hosseini dropping back to the bench. Iran looked to have matched the USA’s 4-3-3 formation.

Two attacking teams

18:00 , Dominic Booth

Watch out for Azmoun and Taremi up front for Iran; they were fantastic against Wales and prompted a huge improvement in the performance from the one we saw against England.

USA have recalled Josh Sargent to the starting XI after he was on the bench against England. Their lineup is a touch more attacking, so everything is set up for a thriller at Al Thumama Stadium.

Iran lineup

17:52 , Dominic Booth

Iran XI: Beiranvand; Mohammadi, Hosseini, Pouraliganji. Rezaeian; Hajsafi, Nourollahi, Ezatolahi, Gholizadeh; Azmoun, Taremi.

USA lineup confirmed

17:50 , Dominic Booth

USA XI: Turner; Dest, Ream, Carter-Vickers, Robinson; Adams (C), Musah, McKennie; Pulisic, Weah, Sargent.

17:43 , Dominic Booth

Team news is just around the corner. Do USA put some of their wildcard sub picks into the starting lineup, in search of the goals they need? We’ll find out...

The permutations

17:36 , Dominic Booth

All eyes will be on England versus Wales for obvious reasons tonight – and you can follow Standard Sport’s live updates from that match here – but this game is arguably the more intriguing. Wales are virtually out and England are virtually through. Iran and USA, however, both have genuine and tangible designs on a last 16 spot.

A draw should be enough for Carlos Queiroz’s side, while the USMNT have a straightforward task – they need to win. Anything else will spell an early flight home. It should be a really interesting night.

Previous meetings

17:25 , Alex Young

Tonight is just the third time these two nations have met on a football field, and the first since late in 2000.

The first is the most high-profile as Iran knocked USA out of the 1998 World Cup to spark, as you can imagine, wild scenes back home.

Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scored both goals for Iran, before a late consolation from Brian McBride.

Betting odds

17:12 , Alex Young

The USA are favoured tonight to record their first ever win over Iran, after two previous meetings.

• Iran: 3/1

• Draw: 12/5

• USA: 19/20

(Odds via Betfair)

Score prediction

17:02 , Alex Young

A confidence-boosting point against England will help elevate the US, who are the favourites despite Iran’s stirring performance against Wales.

This one could be a true World Cup classic.

USA to win, 2-1.

USA team news: Reyna in contention

16:53 , Alex Young

Gio Reyna could finally be unleashed for the USA, which may see Christian Pulisic move into the centre of the attack after quiet performances from Josh Sargeant and Haji Wright.

Iran team news: Jahanbakhsh suspended

16:43 , Alex Young

Star forward Sardar Azmoun is a fitness worry for the Iranians while Alireza Jahanbakhsh is suspended after two bookings.

First-choice goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand could return from the concussion he suffered in the opening minutes against England.

Where to watch

16:37 , Alex Young

TV channel: In the UK, the match will be televised free-to-air and live on BBC Two, with coverage beginning at 6.45pm.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the game live online via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

Welcome

16:32 , Alex Young

Hello and welcome to the Evening Standard’s LIVE coverage of the World Cup group game between Iran and USA.

A politically charged match - and the first meeting between the pair in almost 23 years - which has already seen tensions in the pre-match build-up.

Regarding more immediate footballing matters, both teams can still qualify for the knockout stages and both can top the top, depending on how England get along against Wales.

Kick-off at the Al Thumama Stadium is at 7pm. Stick with us.