Iran's Goalkeeper Suffering Head Injury Will Reportedly Not Play for Rest of 2022 World Cup

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran's goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, who suffered a head injury in the World Cup opener against England on Monday, will not play for the rest of the tournament, Iranian news portal Khabaronline reported.

On Monday, England won 6-2 against Iran in the first round of the group stage of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Beiranvand was injured after clashing heads with his teammate early in the game, leading to the goalkeeper requiring medical help from the national team staff for almost 10 minutes as he was eventually unable to return to the game.

According to the news portal, the goalkeeper was sent to the hospital after the match with concussion and he will no longer play in the tournament.

The on-field injury raised various questions from spectators and commentators alike after Beiranvand was initially allowed to return to the game after being seen by medics.

England's Callum Wilson tries to score during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B soccer match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

© Sputnik / Grigory Sysoev

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At centerstage for most viewers was FIFA's concussion protocol, which states that a player should be pulled from the pitch in the event that a player shows "signs or symptoms of damage to the brain," or if a "concussive injury is suspected."

Beiranvand was later substituted by fellow goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini.

The Iranian national team will play at least two more games in the World Cup. On Friday, it will play against Wales and on November 29, the team will face the US.