New Zealand walked into Los Angeles, scored twice through Elijah Just, and still left with one point, which is the footballing equivalent of acing the exam and then signing the wrong name on the front page. Chris Wood bullied the channels all night, set up both goals like a man who has read the defensive line's diary, and the All Whites still could not protect a lead they had earned twice. You do not lose this game, but you absolutely refuse to win it.

Iran, meanwhile, refused to be a footnote. Ramin Rezaeian poked in the first equaliser after reacting quickest to a blocked shot, and Mohammad Mohebbi headed Rezaeian's cross in off the far post for the second. Some of these players had not kicked a competitive ball at club level since February, after their domestic league was suspended, and they still found the legs and the spite to drag this back from the dead twice. That is not luck. That is stubbornness with a passport.

The end result is a Group G where all four teams sit on a single point, which means this entire match advanced the standings by precisely nothing while entertaining everyone watching. A perfect World Cup paradox: thrilling, dramatic, end to end, and completely indecisive. You came for a winner and left with a vibe.