Mexico O Bravo 28 O Bravo 76 A Zinha 79 3-1 (1-1) Iran Y Golmohammadi 36   Bookings: G Torrado 19 C Salcido 90     Bookings: J Nekounam 55 MEXICOIRAN Possession 53% 47% Shots on target 5 5 Shots off target 2 2 Corners 6 5 Fouls 22 19

Mexico 01 O Sanchez 03 C Salcido 16 M Mendez 05 R Osorio 14 G Pineda 04 R Marquez 06 G Torrado (45 L Perez ) 08 P Pardo 10 G Franco (45 A Zinha ) 09 J Borgetti (52 F Fonseca ) 19 O Bravo Subtitutes 21 J Arellano, 15 J Castro, 12 J Corona, 17 F Fonseca, 20 R Garcia, 18 A Guardado, 11 R Morales, 13 G Ochoa, 23 L Perez, 22 F Rodriguez, 02 C Suarez, 07 A Zinha Iran 01 E Mirzapour 04 Y Golmohammadi 05 R Rezaei 13 H Kaabi 20 M Nosrati (81 A Borhani ) 02 M Mahdavikia 06 J Nekounam 08 A Karimi (62 M Madanchi ) 14 A Teymourian 09 V Hashemian 10 A Daei Subtitutes 03 S Bakhtiarizadeh, 15 A Borhani, 16 R Enayati, 17 J Kazemeian, 11 R Khatibi, 21 M Madanchi, 12 H Roudbarian, 19 A Sadeqi, 23 M Shojaei, 22 V Talebloo, 07 F Zandi Ref: Roberto Rosetti Att: 41000

We have just seen an incredible performance from the Mexican captain Rafael Marquez. He was everywhere, it was a bit Franz Beckenbauer-like how he was spraying passes around everywhere.
Gordon Strachan, BBC Sport TV

PLAYER-RATER - Yahya Golmohammadi still leads, but only just, with Rafael Marquez and Omar Bravo hot on the Iranian's heels.

Full-time: Mexico 3-1 Iran
The Italian referee ends the contest in Nuremberg and Mexico, having been frustrated for long spells, will be delighted to get three points on the board in their first game. Heartbreak for the Iranians, though.

90 mins: Mexican defender Carlos Salcido is booked for a late challenge.

86 mins: Luis Perez goes down theatrically in the area as Mexico continue to attack. The referee ignores his pleas for a penalty - still no spot-kick in the tournament, so far anyway.

82 mins:It's all changed now. The stadium has erupted in sound and the 'ole's' are ringing around the ground from the joyous Mexican contingent.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Nuremberg

81 mins:Looking at these Mexican fans, I've got a feeling Nuremberg will run out of Tequila tonight.
David Oates, Five Live Sport commentator

79 mins: GOAL Mexico 3-1 Iran
Antonio Zinha puts the game to bed with a bullet header from 10 yards out from Mario Mendez's right-wing cross. Zinha started and finished the move, majestic stuff from the Brazilian-born substitute.

76 mins: GOAL Mexico 2-1 Iran
Omar Bravo is the hero again, but it is a goal Iran will feel sick to have conceded. Goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour mis-kicks and Rahman Rezaei loses the ball to Antonio Zinha, who feeds in Bravo to slot coolly home.

72 mins:Mexico manager Ricardo La Volpe is not a happy man and growing increasingly frustrated stood in his technical area.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Nuremberg

69 mins: Mexico have had a good spell but failed to take advantage of their superior possession. They have pushed skipper Rafael Marquez further forward as they seek a crucial second goal.

65 mins:Marquez has played some magnificent long passes. He is the game's outstanding player.
Jonathan Pearce, BBC Sport TV

PLAYER-RATER - You disagree, however. Of the players who started the game, Yahya Golmohammadi is way out in front.

62 mins: Mehrzad Madanchi comes on for Iran in place of Ali Karimi.

62 mins: The ball falls to Mehdi Mahdavikia at a tight angle on the left of the Mexico box, but the shot-happy Iranian blazes carelessly over with team-mates well-placed in more central positions.

58 mins: Rafael Marquez is at the centre of a fabulous passing move, playing two brilliant one-twos before falling under a heavy challenge from Yahya Golmohammadi in the box, but referee Roberto Rosetti incredibly says goal kick.

56 mins: Mahdavikia lets fly from 25 yards and Oswaldo Sanchez has to be alert to gather in a difficult bouncing ball.

55 mins: Javad Nekonam is cautioned by the referee for kicking the ball away.

54 mins: They looked shell-shocked when Jared Borgetti limped off, but Mexico have upped the tempo again and Rafael Marquez is pulling their strings in the middle of the park.

52 mins: A massive blow for the Mexicans as Borgetti is forced off with a hamstring problem. The leading scorer in qualifying is replaced by Francisco Fonseca - and that is their last available substitution.

49 mins: Mexico look in a real hurry - they are clearly not going to settle for a draw in this match and they are pressing in the Iran half.

46 mins: Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe is clearly unimpressed by their first-half showing and Antonio Zinha and Luis Perez come on for Guillermo Franco and Gerardo Torrado.

Iran have surprised Mexico a bit. They've been aggressive and they have pressed them from the start and they look very strong from dead-balls.
Leonardo, BBC Sport TV

PLAYER-RATER - So far you have been impressed with the Iranians and goalscorer Yahya Golmohammadi is in the half-time lead.

Half-time: Mexico 1-1 Iran
The whistle goes - two seconds early - for the interval, with Iran enjoying the afternoon's proceedings far more at the moment.

42 mins: Iran have been buzzing since thier goal and are starting to dominate proceedings. The Mexicans must be careful not to concede again before the break.

Iran have been positive and inventive in the first half and deserve their equaliser.
David Oates, Five Live Sport commentator

36 mins: GOAL Mexico 1-1 Iran
Yahya Golmohammadi produces an almost immediate reply for the Iranians, prodding high into the roof of the net after Oswaldo Sanchez flaps at a corner and the ball falls at the defender's feet in the six-yard box. A set-piece always looked like their best bet of getting on the scoresheet.

Pavel Pardo made a gesture to one of his team-mates before to delay his run while the rest rushed toward the near post. The ploy worked, but coach Ricardo La Volpe refuses to get excited as the rest of the bench celebrate.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Nuremberg

32 mins: Iran have got to gamble a bit more now and the impressive Ali Karimi sends in a Pardo-esque cross from the right that Ali Daei fails to gamble on.

28 mins: GOAL Mexico 1-0 Iran
Omar Bravo taps home to send the Mexicans in the crowd into raptures. Guillermo Franco flicks on another fine Pavel Pardo free-kick from the right and Bravo is on hand to slot in unmarked from four yards.

27 mins: He's found his range now. Pardo whips in a vicious free-kick that Ebrahim Mirzapour does superbly to parry away with Jared Borgetti trying to head home.

25 mins: Omar Bravo races down the right in acres of space, but his centre falls behind Borgetti and it is cleared for a corner, from which Guillermo Franco flashes a header across goal and wide.

23 mins: Rafael Marquez heads wide from an inswinging Pavel Pardo corner. The Mexico captain saw it late but it was a good chance nevertheless.

20 mins: Marquez goes on a surging run at the heart of the Iran defence and is brought down about 35 yards from goal. Pardo's delivery is much better this time, but Iran defend it well.

17 mins: Mexico launch a quick counter-attack and Gerardo Torrado finds Ricardo Osorio with a raking 60-yard pass, but the Cruz Azul defender's cross is deflected into the arms of Ebrahim Mirzapour.

14 mins: Pavel Pardo, who in the build-up to the game said he believed Mexico could reach the World Cup final, wastefully sails a free-kick out of play for a goal kick.

11 mins: Twice in two minutes Vahid Hashemian could have given the Iranians the lead. He first misses when trying to back-heel a cross into the net, then seconds later forces a flying save from Oswaldo Sanchez with a well-directed header.

10 mins:The pace of the game is quite slow but it'll probably quicken up as it gets cooler - there's no doubt the teams starting later have it a lot easier.
Mark Bright, BBC Sport TV

6 mins: Barcelona's Rafael Marquez makes a timely intervention to stop the dangerous Ali Karimi bursting through on goal.

5 mins: Mexico have started the more assured of the two teams and they seem in a hurry to get the ball out wide to the right to wing-back Mario Mendez.

3 mins: Mehdi Mahdavikia decides to test out the new, swinging football early on with an ambitious 30-yarder that flies wide of Oswaldo Sanchez's left-hand post.

1700 BST: The first Group D game gets under way in the Franken-Stadion in Nuremberg.

1659 BST: The Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sanchez looks up to the heavens just before kick off - the 32-year-old has had a very difficult week after the death of his father and his team-mates appear to offer him support before they begin their World Cup campaign.

1655 BST:The Mexican wave runs around the stadium for a while before a massive roar goes out as the players come out on to the pitch.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Nuremberg

1650 BST:Ali Daei is 37 years old - so how is he going to cope with the heat today? I know he'll be used to it in Iran, but it's certainly testing.
Lee Dixon, BBC Sport TV

1632 BST:It feels like I'm in Mexico. The sun is blazing down and, although there is a small section of Iran fans, the majority of supporters inside the Franken-Stadion are Mexican.
Mandeep Sanghera, BBC Sport in Nuremberg

1610 BST:The ground is a sea of green, red and white - the national colours of these two countries are identical.
David Oates, Five Live Sport commentator

Mexico: Sanchez, Salcido, Mendez, Osorio, Pineda, Marquez, Torrado, Pardo, Franco, Borgetti, Bravo.
Subs: Arellano, Castro, Corona, Fonseca, Garcia, Guardado, Morales, Ochoa, Perez, Rodriguez, Suarez, Zinha.

Iran: Mirzapour, Golmohammadi, Rezaei, Kaabi, Nosrati, Mahdavikia, Nekounam, Karimi, Teymourian, Hashemian, Daei.
Subs: Bakhtiarizadeh, Borhani, Enayati, Kazemeian, Khatibi, Madanchi, Roudbarian, Sadeqi, Shojaei, Talebloo, Zandi.

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy).