NUREMBERG, Germany – Iran seemed content to play for one point. So Mexico took all three.

Mexico broke through Iran’s defense late in the second half, scoring twice in the final 15 minutes for a 3-1 victory in the teams’ Group D opener yesterday.

Omar Bravo’s second goal of the match, in the 76th minute, put Mexico up 2-1. Three minutes later, two second-half substitutions hooked up for the clincher when Zinha headed in Francisco Fonseca’s cross.

After trading goals in the first half, Iran dropped as many as five defenders back from the 60th minute on. The strategy worked until defender Yahya Golmohammedi, who scored the equalizer in the 36th minute, made a bad pass.

Zinha, also known as Antonio Naelson, fed the ball up the middle to Bravo, who beat goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour for the go-ahead goal.

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NETHERLANDS 1, SERBIA-MONTENEGRO 0 The Netherlands relied on the lightning speed of winger Arjen Robben for a win over Serbia-Montenegro to join favorite Argentina at the top of Group C, considered the toughest of the first round.

In a clockwork move in the 18th minute, Mark van Bommel fed a long pass to Robin van Persie near midfield. The winger delicately lobbed it over the defense toward Robben.

No one could match his quickness, and despite some desperate tugging at his shirt, Robben coolly slipped the ball under goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric in the 18th minute.

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PORTUGAL 1, ANGOLA 0 Portugal broke its slump in opening games at major tournaments, hanging on against World Cup newcomer Angola for a 1-0 victory.

The often-inventive Portuguese didn’t look like a favorite in Group D, failing to impress against the inexperienced Angolans. By the end, they were hearing the jeers from a crowd frustrated by their sluggish play. Still, the Portuguese extended their unbeaten run to 16 games over the past 16 months. They might regret failing to score more against a lower-ranked team if the group’s top spot comes down to a tiebreaker.