New Zealand and Iran shared the spoils after an entertaining 2-2 draw in a match that exceeded expectations.
New Zealand twice took the lead through Elijah Just, whose clinical finishing kept Iran under pressure throughout the contest.
Iran, however, showed plenty of resilience and found a response on both occasions.
Ramin Rezaeian pulled his side level in the first half after New Zealand's early breakthrough, while Mohammad Mohebi's well-taken header in the second period ensured Iran came away with a point.
The game remained open from start to finish, with both teams enjoying spells of dominance and creating enough chances to claim all three points.
New Zealand defended resolutely and continued to pose problems on the counterattack, despite being ranked 85th in the world.
