World Cup: England fans react to comprehensive victory over Iran
England produced a hugely dominant showing to ease past Iran and make the best possible start to their World Cup campaign at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Monday afternoon. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish were on target for the Three Lions in a relentless display over the course of the 90 minutes, with Iran unable to lay a glove on Gareth Southgate's men for the vast majority of the contest.
Iran found themselves on the back foot early on, with England controlling possession on the halfway line and patiently seeking opportunities to break down their unfancied opponents. Their job was made significantly harder when first-choice goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was forced off with a head injury after just 20 minutes, with Hossein Hosseini introduced between the sticks in his place.
The latter was left clawing at thin air when Bellingham rose highest to thump home a towering header in the 35th minute before Saka's first-time effort dipped under the crossbar as half-time approached. Sterling went on to make it three for England by sticking out a leg to divert Harry Kane's whipped cross over the line and register his first World Cup goal for the Three Lions.
England refused to let off the gas in the second half, with Saka scoring the pick of the bunch before Mehdi Taremi grabbed a consolation for Iran, although Marcus Rashford wasted no time in coming off the bench to add a fifth for his side to alleviate any fears of a remarkable comeback from the underdogs. Jack Grealish then slotted home a sixth to wrap up a brilliant result, which marked an incredible start to England's campaign in Qatar in spite of Taremi's last-gasp penalty and will have given Southgate and his players no shortage of much-needed confidence ahead of their next outing against the USA on Friday.
Follow Express Sport's live updates below.
Express Sport is on hand to provide live updates from England's game against Iran (Image: GETTY)
That's it for the coverage of England today. The Three Lions got their tournament to the best possible start and will go on to Friday's match against the USA full of confidence.
Thank you for following along with us today and do continue to follow Express Sport for all the latest news and updates from the England camp.
Harry Kane could have been given a one-match suspension if he had decided to wear his OneLove captain's armband.
FIFA may have deemed wearing it to have been a purposeful breach of the rules with a match ban as one of the possible punishments that could have been handed out.
England and other European nations were set to wear the armband but backed down after FIFA threatened sporting punishments to captains.
Gareth Southgate has said Harry Kane is okay despite him struggling with an ankle injury during the match. The England skipper was on the receiving end of a tough tackle from Morteza Pouraliganji early in the second half but played on until the 75th minute.
The Iran midfielder was booked for the challenge.
However, Southgate has played down injury concerns regarding his captain despite the Tottenham star being seen limping with an iced ankle after the match.
"Kane is fine," he said. "It looked like a bad tackle but carried on in the game. We took him off because we felt it was a moment we can do that."
Gareth Southgate has joined a chorus of voices praising Jack Grealish for his goal celebration. The England boss has said it is an honour to work with so many who care about other people.
"He's a kind person, we're very fortunate, we work with a group of players who have a hunger to play," he said. "They're a pleasure to work with, they have humility but they also think of others.
"It's unusual to have a group we've got, they were excellent all week and no surprise we won today. It's nice to hear that was the celebration and the reason for it."
England boss Gareth Southgate has been speaking to the media after the victory and has been keen to stress the Three Lions will need to improve against the USA. The 52-year-old was particularly unhappy with the two goals his side conceded.
"To concede two goals the way we did isn't what we need," he said. "USA will be coming for us, full throttle, we're going to have to reset.
"I don't like games that drift, there was so much added time in both halves but that won't be enough for us to progress in the tournament. We have alot to do to qualify but it was a really good start."
The build-up to the match was dominated by the question of whether or not Harry Kane would wear his 'One Love' captain's armband, with FIFA threatening to book the skipper if he did.
The threat forced England and other nations to back down and now Saka has suggested the players will have time to give their thoughts on the matter.
"Since yesterday we haven't had a lot of time to discuss that," he said. "I'm sure we'll get to a time to discuss that and say what we have to say."
There was a heartwarming story behind Jack Grealish's goal celebration after he promised young Manchester City fan Finlay that he would do an arms-flapping celebration.
Finlay, who has cerebral palsy, had exchanged some letters with Grealish earlier in the year before the City attacker surprised the 11-year-old with a visit and he promised to complete a celebration of the young fans' request.
It was the 27-year-old's first goal at a major tournament and will be one Finlay in particular will never forget.
Jude Bellingham scored and believes there is still room for improvement despite the Three Lions' comfortable win. The midfielder opened the scoring on the day with his first goal for his country and was generally excellent on his tournament debut.
"It's important to start in a convincing way and score a lot of goals," he told ITV Sport. "The only things to improve on are the goals against. I think we need to review, analyse and see where they've come from but I think it was nearly perfect."
Gareth Southgate was not impressed with the way England lost concentration to concede their first goal against Iran before giving away a last-gasp penalty in the dying seconds.
"I’m a bit fed up with the end of it, really," Southgate tells BBC Sport in his post-match interview.
"To win by that margin and play as we did, we have to be happy. The players prepared, they looked ready, we felt we wanted to be that type of team, they dealt with the game well.
"It was a sticky first-half, a lot of stoppages but we dealt with the threats, our passing, movement was very good, I’ve got to be happy but we shouldn’t be conceding two goals at that stage of the game and we’ll have to be right on our game against the States.
"It’s a great start but we’re going to have to be better."
"Bellingham was so confident and composed in the interview before," says Rio Ferdinand in his role as a pundit on BBC Sport.
"Exactly the same out on the pitch. The authority that he plays with on the pitch goes well beyond his years. He's a fabulous footballer but delivering at a World Cup like that at that age.
"We talk about the great midfielders that we've played with and seen in England in our generation. None of them were doing what he's doing at this age, on this stage.
"I'm not saying he's better or going to be as good as all of them but at this age none of them were doing what he was doing and it's just fabulous to see."
"I can't describe the feeling, it is amazing," says Bukayo Saka, who scored twice for England, in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.
"I am so happy and so proud. We got the win as well so it is a really special day.
"We needed that good start. We haven't played the best coming into the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do.
"It is amazing to get the win under so much pressure, but we have to be consistent because we have the next game coming up in a few days and we have to win again."
"I feel in a good place. I feel the support and love from the fans, the coaching staff and my team-mates. That is all I need. I feel ready to give 100 per cent and I will continue to do that every time I put the shirt on."
Jack Grealish is chopped down as he races over the halfway line.
The ball then makes its way into the Iranian area but Marcus Rashford is unable to stop himself from bundling over his marker and giving away a free-kick.
What a strike that is from Bukayo Saka, who scores the pick of the bunch to put England four goals to the good!
The 21-year-old dances around several Iranian defenders inside the area before sending a composed effort past Hossein Hosseini and into the back of the net for his second of the match.
This is turning out to be quite some afternoon for Gareth Southgate and his players!
England surge forward once again through Raheem Sterling, who plays a clever one-two with Harry Kane before the ball is nicked away for yet another corner.
It's headed out of danger by the Iranian defence, though.
Jude Bellingham is really enjoying himself out there today.
He skips down the right-hand side before firing a low ball into the area, which is turned behind for a corner.
The resulting delivery is punched away by Hossein Hosseini before the Three Lions quickly manage to force another corner, but Kieran Trippier's floated ball evades everybody in the box.
Iran manager Carlos Queiroz makes a number of changes at half time as he looks to limit the damage over the next 45 minutes, with Saeid Ezatolahi and Ali Gholizadeh taking to the pitch for the second half.
Bukayo Saka gets the action back underway for England, who are surely on their way to a handsome opening win at this World Cup.
If you ever wanted a case study of why football should have temporary concussion substitutes there it is.
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand has his nose splattered across his face in a nasty clash of heads with his own teammates, receives eight minutes of treatment before carrying on only to go down again moments later and be carried off on a stretcher.
A permanent concussion sub, Hossein Hosseini, is on for his international debut but if temporary subs had been allowed, Iran’s medics could have assessed Beiranvand, off the pitch, much more satisfactorily.
Before kick-off, Iran’s players refused to sing their own anthem in solidarity with the fight against repression in their country after the death of Mahsi Amini.
She died in police custody having been arrested for breaching Iran’s strict hijab regulations.
Iranian fans inside the stadium whistled their anthem.
FIFA have been left red-faced with beer advertised inside the stadium before England's World Cup opener against Iran.
The Qatar authorities demanded sales of alcohol be prohibited after interventions from the royal family, with the country implementing strict Islamic rules.
But that hasn't stopped a huge screen from showing Budweisers inside the ground.
"A lot of discussions have been going on without me involved because I’ve been focusing on the game," England boss Gareth Southgate tells BBC Sport.
"We are wearing the FIFA armband which has been agreed by collective federations which was agreed overnight I believe. We are in the middle of that, we’re trying to focus on the game frankly."
Gareth Southgate has spoken to BBC Sport ahead of kick-off (Image: GETTY)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted via a spokesperson that he can understand the FA's anger over the OneLove armband saga after FIFA threatened any captains that choose to wear it at the World Cup with yellow cards and other sanctions.
"We share the FA's frustration with Fifa's decision on this which puts players in a very difficult position," said a spokesperson.
"It is, ultimately, a decision for the FA. On LGBT rights more broadly, clearly Qatar's policies are not those of the UK Government and not ones we would endorse."
Players from both sides have taken to the pitch at the Khalifa International Stadium to begin their warm-ups ahead of kick-off, which is quickly approaching.
Will England be able to deal with the pressure and come away with all three points? Or will Iran spring a major surprise to upset Gareth Southgate's men in their Group B opener?
Kick-off is just over half an hour away in Doha (Image: GETTY)
"It’s a proud moment, very exciting, can’t wait to get out there," says England midfielder Declan Rice in his pre-match interview with BBC Sport.
"We’ve had a good week, built up well, been away from the fans but now we’re here, getting a feel for it and it now feels very real.
"[We need to] be patient, getting a lot of our attacking players forward fluidly. We know what we need to do, we need to be positive and put on a performance."
Declan Rice is raring to go for England against Iran (Image: BBC SPORT)
A large number of England supporters have gathered to watch today's game in pubs around the country, with those at Boxpark Croydon making themselves heard ahead of kick-off...
England fans at Boxpark Croydon in good voice ahead of Iran game
The FA and six other national federations, including that of Wales, announced earlier this morning that their captains will not be wearing the OneLove armband at this year's World Cup in spite of their earlier insistence that they would not be deterred by FIFA's opposition to the plans.
An official statement read: "FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play.
"As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.
"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband.
"However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play."
The OneLove armband will not be worn by Harry Kane against Iran today (Image: GETTY)
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage as England begin their World Cup journey against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
The Three Lions will be desperate to register a much-needed victory in order to live up to their billing as the favourites to top Group B, but will face a tough test against Iran in their bid to snatch all three points.
The build-up to the game has been somewhat overshadowed by the saga involving the OneLove armband, which was initially set to be worn by Harry Kane before the FA backtracked on their plan despite previously insisting that it would go ahead regardless of FIFA's stance on the matter.
However, Gareth Southgate will be hoping that his players will not be too distracted as they go in search of a perfect start to their World Cup campaign with an important win over Iran.
We're just two hours away from kick-off and will be on hand to keep you posted with all the major talking points as well as kick-by-kick updates from the match, so stay tuned!
England fans have already started to gather in Doha (Image: PETER BYRNE/PA WIRE)
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