England v Iran 6-2: World Cup 2022 – as it happened

There were no surprises in this game. England dominated from start to finish, earning a well-deserved 6-2 win.

Coach Gareth Southgate’s men have incredible strength in depth, which was on display today though they must improve their defending if they want to go far in this tournament.

You can view our match report here.

Until next time, thank you for joining us.

England conceded two goals today and Manager Gareth Southgate is aware that their defending must improve ahead of potentially tougher games against a youthful USA side and a Gareth Bale-inspired Wales.

Southgate is justifiably frustrated by the way in which his troops conceded two goals against Iran, who were never in the game.

“I’m a bit fed up with the end of it, really!” he said. “To win by that margin, to play as we did for the majority of the game, we’ve got to be really happy. We looked ready. The players dealt with the game really well. Our press was really good, our movement was really good. I’ve got to be really happy. But we shouldn’t be conceding two goals at that stage of the game. We’ll have to be right on our game against the States. It’s a great start, but we’ll have to be better.”

Man of the match Bukayo Saka has established himself as a vital cog for England and will be key for the Three Lions in this tournament. He is proud of the win for his country as he feels the game showed the team’s strength in depth.

“I can’t describe the feeling – it’s amazing,” said the Arsenal star. “I’m so happy, I’m so proud, and we’ve got the win as well, so it’s a really special day! We needed a good start, we didn’t play the best coming into the tournament. But we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do. It’s amazing. We have to be consistent, because we have the next game coming up in a few days and we have to come again. I feel like I’m in a good place.”

England dominated this game, scoring six goals and having 79 percent ball possession.

It was a strong performance from Saka, who won the “Man of the Match” award.

There will be some concerns about the Three Lions defending as they sloppily conceded two goals to Mehdi Taremi through defensive lapses in concentration. They got the job done today but cannot afford this when they encounter stronger tests later in the tournament.

Iran will look to learn from the lessons ahead of their game against Wales on Friday.

GOAL!

Taremi steps up to the spot and sends Jordan Pickford the wrong way.

Penalty to Iran.

John Stones is penalised for a shirt pull. A video assistant referee (VAR) check awards the penalty.

The 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time combined with the 14 in the first half means that this game has seen more than 24 minutes of stoppage time.

England now have jointly their biggest-ever World Cup win, matching their 2018 group stage win over Panama.

One more goal could see them set a new record.

Goal!

Grealish scores to make it six for England.

Callum Wilson looked like he was going to shoot but opted to take the less selfish route and play in Grealish, who simply had to tuck the ball into the net.

There will be 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time here.

Truth be told, Iran cannot take many positives from this game.

England were surely favourites to win, but Iran may have hoped to be more competitive. They have been thoroughly thrashed here and this performance will raise serious doubts over whether they can progress beyond the group stage.

Team Melli have had just 20 percent ball possession in the game.

Marcus Rashford shows some individual brilliance, beating a couple of Iran defenders and shooting. He wins a corner for his efforts. But the corner comes to nothing as an England player is penalised for a foul.

“I wish we weren’t facing England,” an Iranian radio host commentating on the match tells listeners after the team concedes a fifth goal against the Three Lions.

“I wish [at] least we weren’t playing them on the first match. We were building nice momentum earlier in the game. We should now focus on matches with Wales and USA.”

This is now officially Iran’s heaviest defeat in any World Cup match.

England now seem content with the score. The speed of their play has slowed down and who can blame them?

They have done the hard work now and are looking to run down the clock.

Iran have not had a good day but their supporters remain full of energy, cheering on as Sardar Azmoun comes on for Ahmad Noorollahi.

Taremi has a chance to score again but fails to produce a similar finish to that which saw him notch a consolation for Iran.

Kane is off and replaced by Wilson.

The England captain may have not scored today but he had a good game, drifting out wide, picking out passes and finding crosses.

It wasn’t going to be long before we heard this … again!

Five!

I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of good tidings: but it's coming home.

😉#sorrynotsorry #ThreeLions

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) November 21, 2022

GOAL!

Rashford scores seconds after coming on. He beats a defender before slotting in past Majid Hosseini, showing skill and composure. Kane did good work in the build-up.

Rashford, Grealish, Eric Dier and Phil Foden all came on moments earlier with Saka, Harry Maguire, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount all making way.

Maguire is off for England who are down to 10 men for now.

Dier will soon come on along with three other players. Jude Bellingham fills in at centre back for the moment.

A lot of love for Saka today…

Sugoi Sakano senshu desu.

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) November 21, 2022

RT https://t.co/AwrD10p7rR

— England (@England) November 21, 2022

BUKAYO!!!!

Wow!

— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) November 21, 2022

GOAL!

Iran score. England will not keep a clean sheet. Taremi scores a beauty.

A lapse in concentration from the England defence results in Taremi finding himself in good space. When he gets the ball, he slides it beyond Pickford. Iran have a consolation goal.

GOAL!

England score again, it’s Saka who notches his second of the game.

After receiving a pass from Sterling, Saka fired low and into the net, with Hosseini having no chance of saving that.

Surprisingly, England have yet to make any changes. With the game virtually won, one would have expected coach Southgate to soon give other players in his squad a chance.

For Iran, they must now focus on keeping their morale high. A decent performance and perhaps preventing England from scoring in the second half can help them do that.

Kane and Sterling exchange passes that result in a corner for England. The corner is hit too strong, and Mount commits a foul, gifting possession back to Iran.

Much to the relief of England, Bellingham is back up and looks okay to continue.

Kieran Trippier plays in a corner looking for Maguire, but it is too strong for the central defender.

Trippier strikes from a free kick, but the wall makes easy work of his effort.

Harry Maguire was in imperious form during the first half …

Harry Maguire's first half by numbers vs. Iran:

◉ 100% duels won
◉ 100% aerial duels won
◎ 8 long passes completed
◎ 6 passes into final ⅓
◎ 3 aerial duels
◎ 3 touches in opp. box
◎ 2 shots

Major Tournament legend.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/no8mJHt5Tw

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2022

Morteza Pouraliganji inflicts a mistimed challenge on the ankle of Kane. He gets booked.

Kane is down and in pain. He may have picked up an injury.

Iran supporter Rahim Islami, 60, says there is “no chance” Iran will score another goal.

“They should just make sure they don’t allow more goals. No more embarrassment.” Islami said, shaking his head. But he is determined to stay until the end of the game to get his money’s worth.

England get the second half under way.

Iran have made a triple change as Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ali Karimi are all off and replaced by Hossein Kanani, Ali Gholizadeh and Saeid Ezatolahi.

Saka was a marvel to watch in the first half as he scored England’s second goal.

His club Arsenal, whom he has helped keep atop the Premier League table, paid tribute to him on Twitter.

Bukayo Saka.

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 21, 2022

Some fans and pundits were against the inclusion of Raheem Sterling in the England team given his inconsistencies for Chelsea this season.

However, the former Manchester City man was on target today as he struck his team’s third goal.

England fans will not only be ecstatic but hope that the goal can be the tonic Sterling needs to do well for his country in this tournament.

That’s it for the first-half.

England are comfortably in the lead and coasting to victory.

It’s hard to tell right now that this is a team that hasn’t won any game since beating Ivory Coast 3-0 in March.

Granted, stronger tests could lie ahead for Southgate’s men when they play against Wales and the USA.

Questions were asked about the quality of the England defence coming into this tournament but starting goalkeeper Pickford must be pleased with the work his backline has done so far. He has largely been a spectator in this game.

On the other end of the pitch, Shaw makes a delivery into the box. It just whizzes past Maguire who can’t get a shot away.

Man Utd will hope the two players who have been involved in two of England’s goals continue this form for their club…

That @HarryMaguire93 knock-down… 👌 https://t.co/IurD01HzWg

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 21, 2022

Iran are struggling to string passes together, indicating that they are not just having a bad day but that they are low in confidence.

Hosseini in goal for Team Melli could not do much to prevent any of the three goals from happening.

Iran have an attack, taking advantage of a sloppy Trippier pass.  Jahanbakhsh has a chance to shoot but it’s a chance wasted for Iran.

England must look to make changes ahead of the second half in order to give more players a run.

The game is now surely wrapped up already. England need to be cautious and ensure that their best players are preserved and carefully managed ahead of future games as the tournament progresses.

For Iran, it’s now about damage control.

There will be 14 minutes of first half stoppage time due to the earlier lengthy stoppage.

Bellingham again at the centre of things.

He slides in to Kane before the captain finds Sterling in the box.

The England no 10 Sterling finishes calmly.

Raheem Sterling now has twenty England goals to his name after that fine finish.

Raheem Sterling has now made more England appearances (80) than John Barnes (79). No current England player has more.

🧢 80 caps
⚽ 19 goals
🅰️ 26 assists

Experience. ⭐ pic.twitter.com/Ncd1AUl5sH

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 21, 2022

Saka finishes well from a corner. He latches onto a loose ball, striking powerfully. England double their lead.

Iran protest, claiming Maguire handled the ball. But the goal stands.

England are dominating proceedings and there seems to be an emerging gulf in class between the two teams.

For Iran, there is no real need to panic as yet. They have so far had only 17% ball possession and no shots but the score suggests that they are still in the game.

They will need to tweak their game-plan at half-time to try and increase the chances of taking advantage of an English error.

Iran have a rare passage of attacking play but Rice gets back possession for the Three Lions.

England fans will be happy with his World Cup debut so far…

19y 145d – Aged 19 years and 145 days, Jude #Bellingham is the third youngest England player to start at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18y 198d) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18y 347d). Debut. #ENGIRN #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mywS5N5Stp

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 21, 2022

Goal as England score via Bellingham.

England finally open the scoring as Bellingham neatly tucks in with a header following a whipped in ball from Shaw. It was a terrific goal and the youngster has announced himself on the world stage as expected.

That goal had been a long time coming.

England had their first real chance of the game as Saka cut in from the right and fed in Mount who struck the side netting.

Maguire then comes close to opening the netting as he strikes the post with a header following a corner. England are looking dangerous from set-pieces. The Manchester United defender was unlucky to have not opened the scoring.

Iran are surviving but need to up the ante if they want to avoid conceding sooner rather than later.

🟨 Yellow

Jahanbakhsh gets the first yellow card of the game following a clumsy challenge on the ankle of Shaw. He will need to be careful.

Saka has the first shot of the game on target. Hosseini makes a straightforward save. Saka lacked space but will have to be crisper and more accurate if he wants to score.

The save is met by loud cheers from the Iran fans in the stadium.

As the substitution was due to a concussion, Iran will retain five substitutions as per the protocol used at the World Cup.

England have so far had 88% ball possession and Iran just 12%.

Former Brighton midfielder Jahanbakhsh wastes a free-kick opportunity for Iran as England easily clear away through Trippier.

Unsurprisingly Beiranvand realizes that he cannot continue and signals to his bench to be replaced. This could be a major blow to Iran. Beiranvand is the team’s goalkeeper and also helps the side orchestrate attacks by playing the ball out from the back.

Iran back-up keeper Hosseini is on.

Chelsea fans may well remember Mehdi Taremi from his wondergoal against them in the Champions League.

The acrobatic bicycle kick won best goal of the Champions League 2020/21 season.

He has scored 42 goals and registered 28 assists in 79 appearances for his club, Porto.

Following a lengthy delay, it looked like Iran goalkeeper Beiranvand would not play a further part in this game. Back-up keeper Hosseini was preparing to come on but Beiranvand stays on and lines up a goal kick. Hosseini will need to stay ready.

The Iranian players did not sing the national anthem and stood motionless as the music played.

The move has been a popular way of demonstrating support for the country’s ongoing protests, with various athletes refusing to sing along with the anthem.

It’s all England so far as Iran have yet to have a sustained period of possession. Kane puts in a neat ball in at the back post but Maguire cannot meet it. There was a nasty clash of heads between Beiranvand and Hosseini. Play stops as they receive treatment.

Maguire goes down claiming a penalty following an early England corner after he fell following contact with Chesmi. VAR is not interested. England are looking confident on the ball.

We are up and running.

Iran get Group B up and running. The game is on. Iran have lined up with a back five.

The national anthems have been played, and we are a minute away from kick-off.

The atmosphere in the stadium is palpable. Judging from the anthems, the Iranians outnumber the English.

The players are warming up on the field, and the stadium is filling up. However, there are still lots of seats available in the upper tiers.

There is a great atmosphere outside the Khalifa stadium as Iranian and English fans mingle ahead of today’s first match.

“It will be 2-0, I reckon,” Andrew Mckenzie from the UK told Al Jazeera.

“They have lost a few games recently, but they will clear the group stages. I am confident. I don’t think though they will make it past the quarters.”

Together with his 30-year-old son, MacKenzie, 58, who lives in Doha, doesn’t believe the politics surrounding the England team will matter on the pitch.”They are footballers, first and foremost, with loads of experience. They will be fine.”

While England will be expected to win this game, they cannot afford to take Iran lightly. Team Melli are ranked 20 in the World. Mehdi Taremi has scored 13 goals from 19 games for Porto so far this season and will look to cause problems for Kieran Trippier and Harry Maguire in defence for England.

A clear favourite is emerging, according to our AJE poll…

It's day two of the #FIFAWorldCup. Who will win the first match of the day?👇

— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) November 21, 2022

Gareth Southgate’s men will be looking to better their semi-final finish in 2018. However, if their recent form is anything to go by, they may struggle. The Three Lions enter the game having not won in six matches. Their last victory was a 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast in a friendly international back in March. Former England captain Rio Ferdinand looks forward to the action.

The stage is set 💥@England journey is about to begin! Score predictions???? #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/5pwR0euhsi

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) November 21, 2022

Iranian fan Masud Mousavi is under no delusion that Iran will face a tough match today. “All their players play in the Premier League … they are a World Class team.

If Iran can draw today I will be satisfied. We have a better chance with the US and Wales,” he said, adding this was his first World Cup and he is just happy to be here.

“It’s only a 2-hour flight to Doha. I wanted to not miss the chance.”

Iran will be using a 5-3-2 formation, indicating that Team Melli will be looking to frustrate the technically stronger Three Lions.

England have opted to start the game with a more attack-minded 4-2-3-1 formation. Harry Kane is the lone man up front for the English. Saka, Mount and Sterling will look to provide goal-scoring opportunities to the Tottenham Hotspur star.

Iranian coach Carlos Queiroz has made a bold claim about the current England World Cup squad, calling them the Three Lions’s greatest team since they won the showpiece in 1966 on home soil.

“This new generation that Gareth Southgate is bringing for the national team in my opinion is probably the most talented, the most competitive English national team since 1966,” said Queiroz, whose contract with Team Melli ends after the World Cup.

“This team is very very functional, very practical, very realistic,” the veteran coach said. “I work with the generation of Rio [Ferdinand], [Paul] Scholes, [David] Beckham, all those guys. But this national team is really, really different because they have a realistic approach to any single game, which makes them very, very dangerous.”

Beiranvand, Moharrami, Hajsafi, Mohammadi, Jahanbakhsh, Pouraliganji, Taremi, Cheshmi, Karimi, Hosseini, Nourollahi

Pickford, Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Rice, Bellingham, Saka, Mount, Sterling, Kane.

Your #ThreeLions to take on Iran! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/uU7SA2TAJB

— England (@England) November 21, 2022

Don’t miss our AI predictor

The toughest group of all due to the average world ranking of 15 and a spread of just 15 places. It is also the tightest and most competitive.

England (5) must be considered a serious challenger for the trophy. But there could be fireworks, as England take on their neighbour, Wales (19), and USA (16) face off against geopolitical rival Iran (20).

Yet, mere statistics do not equal results on the pitch.

Which teams can find it within themselves to become more than the sum of their parts?

While several teams are built around a single global superstar, England are without such a golden child.

Harry Kane, who leads the team by example, scoring 51 goals in his 75 England appearances, is undoubtedly a world-class player. He is supported by a solid squad, all performing to a high level in the world’s top leagues, giving the team some commanding personalities in all areas on the pitch.

With six goals at Russia 2018, Kane stands a chance of breaking Gary Lineker’s record of 10 to become England’s highest World Cup goalscorer. But do watch out for youngsters Jude Bellingham in midfield and Bukayo Saka in attack.

The team is led by Gareth Southgate, and under him last year, the team was only a few penalty kicks away from winning England’s first major tournament since 1966 when they lost the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

Could this be the year they finally “bring football home”? Whatever happens, just do not let it go to penalties.

Queiroz has chosen familiar faces for the country’s World Cup 2022 squad.

The Portuguese coach included experienced players like goalkeeper Alireza Beyranvand and defender Shojae Khalilzadeh.

Born in the small village of Sarab-e Yas in western Iran, Beyranvand worked as a shepherd and led a nomadic life. He played football in his free time and a game called dal paran, which involved throwing stones over long distances.

Currently, the player holds the Guinness World Record for the longest throw of the ball in a professional football match.

Alireza Beiranvand, the goalkeeper of Iran national team & @boavistaoficial, has achieved @GWR world record of "Farthest distance throw of a football in a competitive match" for his 61-meter throw during a 2016 match between Iran & South Korea at the 100,000 seater Azadi stadium pic.twitter.com/Rt6l6lgq8R

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 25, 2021

Also keep an eye on Mehdi Taremi, who has continued to shine across European tournaments with his club, Porto, and who unsurprisingly secured a spot next to other legionnaire forwards like Sardar Azmoun – who recovered from an injury in time – and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

England’s 1966 World Cup win at Wembley Stadium remains a rallying point of English identity, and fans believe they are owed a major victory after so many years.

Having qualified for Qatar 2022 unbeaten, Southgate’s Lions are gunning for glory.

They finished fourth at the last World Cup and were runners-up at the delayed Euro 2020. They would hope to make it big in Qatar.

Their recent run of form in the League of Nations – zero wins in six games – means England might need an excellent start against Iran to bolster their confidence.

Queiroz is popular in Iran. He led the team at the World Cup in 2014 and 2018.

Under Queiroz, Iran secured their best World Cup performance in Russia, defeating Morocco and drawing with Portugal to claim four points and narrowly missed out on progressing to the knockout rounds for the first time in five World Cup appearances.

Before the team arrived in Qatar, there were petitions to FIFA for Iran to be disqualified from the World Cup due to the ongoing protests and the fact that women are not allowed to attend as fans inside the country to watch the games.

When asked about it, Queiroz said he and the team were not thinking about it, and the whole focus was on improving their game.

Iran’s World Cup hopes have been intertwined with political affairs after two months of protests that began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody rocked the country.

Athletes, including footballers in the local league and in international matches, have refused to celebrate wins, trophies and goals since the start of the deadly protests.

However, despite a rocky few months off the pitch in the lead-up, Team Melli remains hopeful of making history at the tournament.

This is the sixth time that the national team is participating in a World Cup.

“I think Iran and Japan are most likely among [the] Asian teams with the ability to pass the group stage of the World Cup,” Iran’s newly appointed Portuguese head coach, Carlos Queiroz, told Iranian media in October.

Ranked 20, Iran is the top Asian team in the FIFA rankings, above Japan and South Korea.

If you decide to take the Metro, Sport City Metro Station (Gold Line) is the closest to the venue and is about a 15-minute walk to the stadium.

There are also stadium express buses available, and they will start running four hours prior to the game.

Khalifa International Stadium was the first tournament-ready venue for the World Cup and will host matches up to and including the third place play-off during the event.

Built in 1976, it is the only tournament venue which existed before Qatar was awarded the World Cup, although it has since been renovated and refurbished. The stadium’s dual arches are among its most recognisable features.

It is part of the same complex which houses the 3-2-1 Museum, dedicated to the history of sports, and the stadium can host up to 40,000 spectators.

Prior to the World Cup, the venue hosted the final of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and the 2019 World Cup.

The stadium will host six group-stage matches, one Round-of-16 game and the play-off for third place.

The anticipated World Cup 2022 debut of Gareth Southgate’s Lions is today. England will kick off their campaign against Team Melli, Iran, in the second game of the World Cup in Qatar.

The game will be played at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha at 4pm (13:00 GMT)

In this blog, we will provide you with all the latest news and updates before and during the second game of the FIFA World Cup 2022.