Omar Bravo grabbed a brace as Mexico scored two late goals to beat plucky Iran 3-1 in their World Cup Group D opener on Sunday.

Bravo's second and another from second-half substitute Zinha in the final 14 minutes broke a 1-1 deadlock and gave the hot favourites all three points.

Up to that point Iran looked set to take a shock point after Yahya Golmohammadi had equalised Bravo's opener.

The Iranians made the brighter start and Mehdi Mahdavikia fired an early warning sign by whistling a 25-yard drive just inches wide of the upright.

Mexico keeper Oswaldo Sanchez, playing just days after the death of his father, then pulled off a fantastic save on 11 minutes, when he dived at full strength to tip Vahid Hashemian's powerful header from Ali Karimi's left-wing cross around the post.

Mexico slowly found their feet, though, and after a string of set-pieces finally broke the deadlock from one on 28 minutes.

Gerardo Torrado's free-kick was headed goalwards by Guillermo Franco and Bravo was on hand to sidefoot home from close range.

Iran, however, refused to let their heads drop and got back on level terms nine minutes before the half-time break.

Mahdavikia's corner found Sanchez flapping in no man's land and when the ball fell to Golmohammadi he fired it into the roof of the net.

The game was played at a much slower tempo after the interval, and Bolton's Jared Borgetti went off with an injured hamstring.

But sub Zinha sparked Mexico's late surge when first his exquisite through ball after a defensive lapse set up Bravo's second goal on 76 and then he himself rose high to glance home Mexico's third from Mario Mendez's right-wing cross three minutes later.