Egypt couldn't have asked for a better start to its massive Group G clash, taking the lead just five minutes into the match.

After Alireza Beiranvand failed to deal cleanly with Mohamed Salah's initial effort, the loose ball fell kindly to Mahmoud Saber, who calmly slotted a first-time finish through the goalkeeper's legs to give Egypt an early 1-0 advantage.

Iran had an immediate opportunity to respond when referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the penalty spot after Mehdi Taremi was brought down inside the box. Taremi stepped up looking to equalize, but Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and produced an excellent save to preserve Egypt's lead.

The advantage lasted only a few minutes. Shobeir again denied Iran with an impressive save, but Ramin Rezaeian reacted quickest to the rebound and smashed home to level the match in the 14th minute.

The frantic opening eventually settled into a competitive midfield battle, though both sides continued to create opportunities.

Iran looked dangerous from wide areas and nearly took the lead before halftime when Shoja Khalilzadeh headed narrowly wide from a dangerous delivery. Egypt answered through Trezeguet, whose first-time effort was comfortably handled by Beiranvand as both teams headed into the break level at 1-1.

The second half remained evenly contested, with Egypt introducing Omar Marmoush and Zizo in search of fresh energy, while Iran continued pushing forward, knowing a victory would guarantee qualification. Trezeguet nearly restored Egypt's lead early in the half before Beiranvand smothered his effort inside the penalty area.

As the match wore on, both teams traded chances. Egypt nearly found a second when Ali Nemati produced a superb defensive intervention to deny Yasser Ibrahim, while Iran continued to threaten through Mehdi Taremi and Saeid Ezatolahi.

The closing minutes delivered some of the tournament's biggest drama.

Taremi struck the woodwork in the 89th minute before Iran believed it had completed an unforgettable comeback in stoppage time. Following a panic inside the penalty area, Shoja Khalilzadeh fired into the roof of the net and celebrated what appeared to be the winning goal.

However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside, silencing the Iranian celebrations. Moments later, Saeid Ezatolahi rattled the crossbar with one final opportunity before the referee brought the contest to an end.

The 1-1 draw was enough for Egypt to secure second place in Group G and book a Round of 32 meeting with Australia. Iran, meanwhile, was left heartbroken after coming within inches of a famous victory and must now wait to discover whether its tally will be enough to qualify as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.