England handed Iran a 6-2 drubbing in their opening game of Qatar World Cup 2022 on Monday afternoon.
An imperious England dominated every minute of this game, with a flash of magic and a penalty from Mehdi Taremi punctuating an an otherwise perfect display.
Critics of Gareth Southgate’s cautious approach with England will have been delighted to see the Three Lions in an unstoppable attacking flow, all sparked by a deft header from Jude Bellingham.
Bukayo Saka made England’s lead comfortable with a thumping strike as the ball dropped to him from a corner, before Raheem Sterling stabbed in a volley. Saka’s second was answered by Taremi’s electric strike, but Iran were swept away as Rashford and Grealish completed the drubbing.
Quotes
“It’s a really proud moment for me. I thought I’d missed, to be honest, as it took ages to loop into the goal. We’ve got to enjoy this win. It takes the pressure off a bit, but we’ll still be at the level playing for two more wins, because that is how we want to play.” Jude Bellingham after becoming England’s second youngest World Cup goalscorer to set the Three Lions on their way to a convincing victory.
Player of the match
Bukayo Saka
