Belgium had the ball, had the pressure and still had no goal. Iran defended like their lives depended on it, Alireza Beiranvand turned into a fantasy monster, and the 0-0 draw leaves Group G wide open going into MD3.
This was not a boring fantasy game, even without goals. Belgium defenders returned, Iran defenders hauled, Beiranvand stacked saves, and Nathan Ngoy's red card made Belgium's final group game a lot more uncomfortable than it needed to be.
Here are the Demon Notes from Belgium 0-0 Iran: Beiranvand's save haul, Belgium's blunt attack, cheap defender points and what it means before Belgium face New Zealand.
Belgium 0-0 Iran
- Goals: none
- Red card: Nathan Ngoy
- Iran disallowed goal: Mehdi Taremi ruled offside
- Top fantasy points: Alireza Beiranvand 11, Brandon Mechele 9, Maxim De Cuyper 9, Ramin Rezaeian 9
- Next fixtures: Belgium v New Zealand, IR Iran v Egypt
Team Stats
Player Stats
| Player | Pos | Price | MD2 pts | Match stats | MD3 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alireza Beiranvand | GK | £4.2m | 11 | 13 tournament saves, clean sheet, big stops v Belgium | Hero night, but Egypt is not a clean buy |
| Ramin Rezaeian | DEF | £4.0m | 9 | Clean sheet, 5 key passes | Great fantasy tournament, but MD3 fixture is tricky |
| Brandon Mechele | DEF | £3.9m | 9 | Clean sheet, 11 clearances | Cheap Belgium defender if he keeps his place |
| Maxim De Cuyper | DEF | £4.7m | 9 | 4 shots on target across the tournament, clean sheet | Attacking defender, but rotation risk needs checking |
| Kevin De Bruyne | MID | £7.5m | 3 | 9 shots, 5 key passes across the tournament | New Zealand fixture is good, but Belgium look blunt |
| Romelu Lukaku | FWD | £7.4m | 1 | Booked early, subbed after 72 minutes | Hard to trust unless Belgium team news screams start |
Demon Notes
- Beiranvand (£4.2m) was the reason Iran left with a point. He made the saves when Belgium finally found the target, and the clean sheet pushed him to 11 MD2 points.
- Rezaeian (£4.0m) keeps finding ways to matter in fantasy. A clean sheet plus creative set-piece threat is exactly why cheap defenders can swing tournament weeks.
- Belgium were not convincing. De Bruyne (£7.5m) still got into shooting and crossing positions, but the final ball and finishing were not sharp enough.
- Lukaku (£7.4m) was a concern. A yellow card after three minutes, limited threat, then a second-half substitution. The New Zealand fixture is nice, but the form is not.
- Ngoy (£3.7m) had been on for another cheap defensive return before the red card. That suspension matters for MD3 and could make Belgium's back line even more annoying to predict.
What It Means For MD3
Belgium face New Zealand in MD3, which is exactly the kind of fixture fantasy managers want. The problem is trust. They have two draws, no Belgium player has properly exploded yet, and the red card may force defensive changes.
De Bruyne is still the best Belgium attacker on paper. Our MD3 numbers have him high, and New Zealand is the spot. But if you watched this game, you know the buy comes with frustration risk.
The defenders are probably the cleaner route. Mechele (£3.9m) is cheap, Courtois (£4.9m) has save and clean-sheet paths, and Meunier (£4.8m) still carries attacking upside if he starts.
Iran face Egypt next. Beiranvand and Rezaeian have been brilliant fantasy picks so far, but chasing Iran defensive points after a backs-to-the-wall clean sheet is dangerous. Egypt have enough quality to punish them.
Verdict: Belgium are still usable for MD3 because of the fixture, but keep it focused. De Bruyne if you want the attacking ceiling. Courtois or a cheap defender if you want the safer angle. Iran points were deserved, but they are harder to chase now.