Matchday 5 of the FIFA World Cup has already thrown up some stunning performances from teams most considered as underdogs. Here we recount what has happened so far, with the latest match first.
Iran 2 - 2 New Zealand
(Rezaeian 33', Mohebi 64'; Just 7', 54')
Four superbly worked team goals saw Iran and New Zealand share the spoils as we saw four matches end as draws for the first time at a World Cup since 1958 Sweden.
Elijah Just opened the scoring after playing off big Chris Wood and racing into the box before taking it off Wood's toe and lashing it home. Ramin Rezaeian equalised after incessant Iran pressure told after he played it on for Saman Ghoddos to flick forward into the box and while Shahriar Moghanlou's effort was stopped at source, the ball trickled out to a constantly moving Rezaeian who made no mistake.
Just then made it two after more excellent work from Wood: as he ran onto a perfectly weighted ball and slammed it in from close in. Iran hit back inside ten minutes when a superb Ghoddos crossfield worked Rezaeian into space on the right, from where he curled a lovely ball in for Mohammed Mohebi to thump into the net off the post.
Uruguay 1 - 1 Saudi Arabia
(Amri 41'; Araujo 80')
Saudi Arabia survived a second half onslaught to keep Uruguay at bay and come out with a 1-1 result that sees everyone in Group H tied on one point. Abdulelah Al Amri opened the scoring when he was first to the rebound as Fernando Muslera spilled a long-ranger into his path. An underwhelming Uruguay went in 1-0 down at half-time, but came out of the blocks roaring in the second. Having subbed off Darwin Nunez, Marcelo Bielsa seemed to have made quite the statement in the interval and his team played more like the sides he's famous for putting out.
That newfound intensity meant they had 27 shots at goal by the end of it all (20 coming in the second half) and it took some astonishing keeping from Mohammed Al Owais to limit them to one goal. That came when Maxi Araujo seized on a loose ball inside the box and slammed it past Owais from a tight angle.
Belgium 1 - 1 Egypt
(Hany 66' (OG); Ashour 19')
A see-sawing match saw Egypt hold on for a draw against Belgium as the two teams shared the spoils in the Group G opener. Egypt started the better of the two sides and took the lead early when Emam Ashour ran onto a Mohamed Salah pass and clatter a powerful shot from outside the box past Thibaut Courtois. It was a stunning strike and encapsulated the best of Egypt today -- the constant menace of the direct running of Ashour, and the cleverness of Salah, who played in a #10 role centrally and kept picking up pockets of space against a Belgium defence that struggled to pick him up.
Belgium had their chances, including Kevin de Bruyne smacking the post with a superb freekick, but it took the introduction of record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku to change the tide. 22 seconds after coming on the big striker surged into the box and his presence created enough confusion for Mohamed Hany to turn Thomas Meunier's low cross into his own net. It was an unfortunate moment for Hany, who had kept Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard very quiet through the match.
Belgium finished the stronger side as they pressed for a winner, but tough defending and good stop shopping from Mostafa Shobeir saw Egypt hold on for the point. The African giants are yet to win a World Cup game.
Spain 0 - 0 Cape Verde
A sensational defensive performance from debutants Cape Verde saw them hold reigning European champions and World Cup 2026 favourites Spain to a goalless draw. Sitting in a solid 5-4-1 formation, the tiny African nation blunted a Lamine-Yamal-less starting XI to such an extent that Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain's centre forward, didn't get a touch of the ball for the opening half hour (the longest any player has gone without a touch since these records have been kept, from the 1966 World Cup).
When Yamal came in later in the second half, Spain looked a bit more purposeful and direct, but there was simply no way past 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha and his defensive unit. Spain had 74% of the possession, took a remarkable 27 shots (vs 6) and had an xG of 2.29 (vs 0.29) but there was no getting past the Cape Verde fortress.