I stopped by the Seattle Art Museum before coming here, and there's a Hokusai woodblock print in the Asian collection — that wave, that restless, unstoppable forward energy — and I thought immediately of Taremi, a man who moves through defences like water finding its level. Iran's midfield is suffocating in this match, with Jahanbakhsh and Ghoddos pressing the tempo so relentlessly that New Zealand's back line — organised but limited in their own half — will spend most of the evening defending rather than breathing. Chris Wood is a handful, and he'll nick one to keep the All Whites honest, but Beiranvand in goal is composed enough to prevent the collapse Iran's defence occasionally invites upon itself.

Iran's midfield is simply operating on a different level here — Jahanbakhsh and Ghoddos have the quality to pick apart New Zealand's compact defensive shape, and with Taremi leading the line, the All Whites will be chasing shadows in transition. New Zealand's back line, marshalled by Boxall, is disciplined and will make Iran work for everything — Chris Wood will get his moment, probably from a set piece — but I just don't see the All Whites generating enough sustained attacking threat to nick a result. I tried baking a Seattle cream cake with Dungeness crab filling at a local patisserie this week — let's just say the dough cooperated more than New Zealand's midfield will here. Iran take this in a controlled, professional 2-1 victory that reflects exactly who they are: an organized, technically sound footballing nation that respects the game deeply.