November 21, (THEWILL) – At the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday, England thrashed Iran 6-2 to get their World Cup campaign off to a flying start with Bukayo Saka, notching up a brace.
Saka, whose missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final last year was difficult for many English fans to take, scored a beautiful volley to give Gareth Southgate’s team a 3-0 lead at the half before adding another goal in the second half.
Jude Bellingham scored his first goal in England’s colours to set the tone for the hammering, and Raheem Sterling added the third as Iran crumbled following goalkeeper, Alireza Beyranvand’s terrible head injury early on, which resulted in additional 14 minutes at the end of the first half.
With a strong finish, Mehdi Taremi prevented England from keeping a clean sheet and added to his tally with a late penalty, but the Three Lions, nevertheless, delivered a strong message to their Group B adversaries with substitutes, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, adding to the final score.
Gareth Southgate has frequently faced criticism for playing it too conservatively, but his Three Lions put Carlos Queiroz’s team to the sword, quelling some sceptics and making a statement at the start of the group ties.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
