The Iran winger Mohammed Mohebi scored a clinical goal to equalise the game against New Zealand but his celebration following the goal was deemed to be controversial. After scoring, Mohebi ran towards the corner and he pulled out the gun celebration in front of the US crowd. Considering the ongoing war situation between US and Iran, the celebration was interpreted to have other meanings or intentions rather than just personal reasons or joy. The celebration went viral on social media with some fans justifying his personal choice and some of the others claiming that it was a political statement.

"The celebration was just coming in the mind, in the moment. I do it like this [gestures with his hands] and I wanted to do it like this for all the fans. It's just a celebration you know, and that's it," stated Mohammed Mohebi on being asked about his controversial gun celebration after the goal. The celebration is quite a common one in football but the timing of the celebration, whether coincidence or not, seems a lot more unparliamentary nonetheless.

Iran secure fighting draw against New Zealand in LA

The importance of the goal scored by Mohammed Mohebi cannot be understated as it was a strong header, leaving the goalkeeper absolutely no chance. The Iran side was desperately in need of a breakthrough at that point in the game and the ball was played accurately by Ramin Rezaeian. From the flanks, he delivered a pin-point cross right into the D-box, where Mohebi was patiently waiting to score. When the ball arrived he rose unmarked in the middle of the box and headed the ball neatly into the back of the net.

Iran secured a well fought draw against New Zealand and this further extended the unbeaten run of the Asian nations in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran played some quality end-to-end football in the game and it ended with a scoreline of 2-2. Another significant moment that happened in the game was when the first goal was scored by Iran.

Ramin Rezaeian celebrated his goal by covering head and he cleared the doubts, stating that it was a political celebration itself. With such political tensions between the two nations, such celebrations have a higher possibility of taking place, but players will need to focus on just playing their game to avoid controversies.

As Iran head into their next game of the group stage against Belgium, they will be hoping to keep their level of play high. Belgium will be coming into the game hungry for victory as they managed just a draw against Egypt. It will be a huge game as a loss could make life difficult for Iran while a draw could solidify their chances in getting through to the knockout stages.