I don't think age is the real issue here. We played physically, we ran well, our players fought bravely and never seemed out of breath for most of the match.
Ghalenoi had no plan for either defense or offense. The space between our lines was huge, our center backs were a mess, leading to both goals by New Zealand. We mostly had just a single plan in the second half, trying to cross the ball from the left side all the time. Nearly every ball from Iran came from the left side by Ghaedi, except for our 2nd goal. New Zealand knew it was our plan and neutralized it easily. Ghaedi failed to penetrate deep into New Zealand defense from the left side, not once but multiple times one after another. It was clear that it was a futile plan.
We will most likely say goodbye to WC 2026 with just this point against New Zealand. I don't see Iran winning against Belgium or Egypt, unless Belgium plays as absurdly as it did tonight and Egypt decides to be kind to us.