Belgium were held to a scoreless draw by Iran in a frustrating encounter that saw the Red Devils reduced to 10 men and facing the possibility of group-stage elimination for a second consecutive World Cup.

A star-studded, though ageing, lineup, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, was fortunate to leave Los Angeles with a point on Sunday.

Belgium controlled possession yet ceded the game’s best chances to a resolute Iranian defence.

Iran’s Mehdi Taremi had the ball in the net from a well-worked first-half free kick that was overturned for offside by VAR, while Nathan Ngoy was sent off after the break for hauling down the striker following a badly mishit back-pass.

The result means all three games in Group G so far have ended in draws. Stuck on two points,  Belgium at least have the comfort of playing the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, New Zealand, in their final group game.

Iran will also need at least a point against Egypt next Friday. Having been frustrated by visa issues while traveling from their base camp in Mexico to play games in the United States, Team Melli will hope to focus on the football as travel restrictions are reportedly easing for their crucial trip to Seattle.

For the second Iran game running, protesters from Los Angeles’s large Iranian-American community gathered at the stadium to chant against the country’s current regime.

Inside the stadium, Iran’s anthem again drew a chorus of boos and whistles, a reception at odds with the response to the players themselves, who were loudly cheered throughout the game.

Having switched to a back five, Iran sat deep in the first half, allowing Belgium to dominate possession and play hundreds of passes around their penalty area without creating any clear-cut opportunities.

Target man Lukaku, back in the starting lineup after making an impact from the bench in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt, managed a solitary headed effort in the 36th minute, which sailed over the bar.

Iran had the first half’s two best chances, entirely against the run of play. Hossein Kanani’s low shot after a long throw was well saved by an outstretched Thibaut Courtois.

And Iran’s star striker Taremi had the ball in the net midway through the half after a cleverly worked free kick, but it was ruled offside.

The former Inter Milan man spun away from Belgium’s wall, swivelled and buried the ball, before VAR overruled the effort, to the dismay of a vocally pro-Iran crowd.

After the break, Belgium continued to huff and puff, while Taremi again nearly scored at the other end. Courtois did well to save after Kanani had flicked on a long throw to the Iran forward.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia made a triple substitution around the hour mark, and his side immediately came close – Maxim De Cuyper’s point-blank effort from De Bruyne’s cut-back was well saved.

Substitute Hans Vanaken blasted a shot from a rebound well over the bar moments later, as the Red Devils finally began to knock on Iran’s door in earnest.

But disaster struck for Belgium as Ngoy was sent off. The centre-back had badly under-hit a pass back to Courtois and raised his arm into Taremi as the striker raced through on goal.

The game settled into a nervous, scrappy stalemate, though De Cuyper again came close with a low effort from just outside the box.

[Aljazeera]

Sri Lanka’s semi-final hopes in the Women’s T20 World Cup went up in smoke on Sunday as they suffered a disappointing eight-wicket defeat to West Indies in Bristol. Expectations had soared following their stunning upset win over defending champions New Zealand earlier in the week, but it was back to square one as the batting once again let the side down.

‎Asked to bat first on a green-tinged surface, Sri Lanka were bundled out inside 20 overs for a meagre 98. The spinners had their moments during the chase and threatened briefly, but there simply were not enough runs on the board to truly test the West Indian girls.

‎The writing was on the wall early when Sri Lanka lost three wickets inside the first two overs with only nine runs on the board. Several batters attempted to rebuild the innings, but the damage had already been done and the early collapse proved too costly to recover from.

‎Nilakshika Silva, the heroine against New Zealand, once again top scored with 30 off 26 balls. But with the top three batters departing for single digit scores, West Indies seized the initiative and never loosened their grip. Captain Hayley Matthews led from the front, doing most of the damage with three wickets.

‎There was still a glimmer of hope as Sri Lanka’s spinners created opportunities and managed to induce a few nervous moments, but fielding once again proved to be a major disappointment. To make matters worse, Sri Lanka conceded 23 extras, including 13 wides, gifts that proved far too generous at this level.

‎There was a brief flutter during the chase, but veteran Stafanie Taylor, one of the most experienced players in the women’s game, ensured West Indies did not squander a golden opportunity. She finished unbeaten on 27 off 25 deliveries with a four and a six as West Indies moved to the brink of the semi-finals with three wins from three games.

‎Sri Lanka will remain in Bristol for Tuesday’s clash against Ireland before wrapping up their group campaign against Scotland at Old Trafford next week. In hindsight, they will regard this tournament as an opportunity missed.

‎After all, they had beaten West Indies in the Caribbean earlier this year in both white-ball formats. They had also undergone a two-week residential camp in Kandy before flying to England, while four days of preparation in Bristol itself had left them well prepared for this crucial contest.

‎But all that planning counted for little as a sloppy batting display brought their semi-final dreams crashing down. Batting has been a recurring concern throughout the campaign. Even in the memorable victory over New Zealand, it was the lower middle order that rescued the side from trouble. Far too often, Sri Lanka have been forced to rely on the tail wagging, and in a World Cup campaign, that is a dangerous habit. In the end, it caught up with them and left them staring at what might have been.

Rex Clementine in Bristol

West Indies spinners set up a third straight victory as they strangled Sri Lanka’s batters before Stefanie Taylor steadied a nervy chase to see them home by five wickets in Bristol. The result brings the West Indies joint-top of Group 2 with England – only trailing on net run rate – while Sri Lanka’s hopes of progression took a bashing.

Hayley Matthews was central to West Indies’ effort, arguably setting up the win inside the opening powerplay. Having put Sri Lanka into bat, the West Indies reduced them to 24 for 4 inside the powerplay, a position from which Sri Lanka never truly recovered. Mathews picked up innings best figures of 3 for 15.

Then with the bat, Matthews did her part in a 28-run opening stand with Deandra Dottin, and while Sri Lanka plugged away with wickets through the middle overs, a combination of poor catching, excess extras and Taylor’s stewardship ensured West Indies’ chase was never truly under threat.

Even on a surface where batting isn’t the easiest, any opportunities need to be grabbed when defending a sub-par total – which is precisely what Sri Lanka had managed having been bowled out for 98.

Sri Lanka however struggled to capitalise on the opportunities afforded to them, while simultaneously gifting too many free runs. Twenty-three extras were given away across the innings, with 13 of those coming in wides.

Moreover Sri Lanka dropped three catches across the innings – two of them coming shortly after the fall of a wicket; momentum is everything in a low-scoring game, and Sri Lanka were guilty of giving it up too easily. There were also a handful of close run-out chances that went begging.

It meant that West Indies, who had looked uneasy across their chase, were not punished for their mistakes – which in itself was a result of mistakes induced by the pressure created by the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders outside of their costly errors.

Having someone with the experience of Taylor in the middle order would be a boon for most any side, and she showed her value once again on Sunday. After a solid opening stand, West Indies had slipped from 2 for 36 to 5 for 70. Another couple of wickets and those remaining 29 runs might have felt closer to 50.

However Taylor offered just the calmness required in such a situation, content to deftly rotate the strike and ensure there were no further hiccups. Her six off a free hit was the only six of the game, but highlighted her ability to capitalise on the situation at hand. Fittingly she struck the winning runs – tellingly, dropped at midwicket.

Sri Lanka average barely over 6 an over against spin since the end of the last T20 World Cup, and West Indies were well-suited to exploit that potential weakness with a team stacked with spin options.

First on that list was skipper Matthews, who opened the bowling and struck three times in a three-over spell inside the powerplay. On a surface that was tacky, she cleverly didn’t attempt to do too much, simply keeping her lines and lengths tidy.

In a period that crippled the Lankan innings before it had even truly begun, Vishmi Gunaratne offered up a leading edge – one spectacularly plucked out of the sky by Matthews – before Chamari Athapaththu went far too early on a pull as she saw her left bail dislodged. Harshitha Samarawickrama meanwhile was done in by some extra bounce, which meant she struggled to keep down a cut straight to point.

When Chinelle Henry had Imesha Dulani caught at mid-on, Sri Lanka had lost their fourth wicket inside the powerplay with just 24 runs on the board.

Ashmini Munisar – drafted into XI to add even more spin options – and Karishma Ramharack picked up three wickets between them as well, as Sri Lanka lost seven of their 10 wickets to spin, eventually being bowled out for 98 with two balls to spare.

With the top and middle order offering little by way of impetus, a rescue job for the ages was needed and Nilakshika de Silva set about her task.

Her 30 off 26 came largely came across two stands of 34 and 23 with Kavisha Dilhari and Kawya Kavindi. Those were two of just three double-digit partnerships across the Sri Lankan innings, as Sri Lanka’s innings stuttered into gear.

But once Nilakshika fell, looking to take on the fielder at deep square leg, the innings once more ground to a halt. Sri Lanka managed 60 for 3 in the middle overs, but without Nilakshika the death overs fetched just 15, as West Indies’ spinners solidified their hold on the game.

SCORES:
West Indies women 99 for 5 in 16.1 overs (Hayley Matthews 17, Deandra Dottin 12, Stefanie Taylor 27*, Jannillea Glasgow 10*; Nimasha Meepage 1-18, Kavisha Dilhari 2-22, Chamari Athapaththu 1-13) beat Sri Lanka women 98 in 19.4 overs  (Imesha Dulani 17, Kavisha Dilhari 21, Nilakshika Silva 30, Kavya Kavindi 17; Hayley Matthews 3-15, Chinelle Henry 1-12, Afy Fletcher 1-24, Aaliyah Alleyne 1-15, Ashmini Munisar 1-16, Karishma Ramharack 2-15) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]