A HUGE WIN OVER IRAN KICKS OFF ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP
Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham inspired England's 6-2 rout of Iran in Monday's Group B opener in Doha. England's driving force was Saka and Bellingham, who displayed dynamic displays that highlighted their status as two of the game's brightest young stars. Harry Maguire had a dominant performance. This is a remarkable performance by Bukayo Saka. Another goal for Raheem Sterling. During England's 6-2 victory over Iran on Monday at the World Cup, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford put last year's European Championship loss behind them. After missing penalties in the shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, both players were subjected to racist abuse. After Saka had scored twice at Khalifa International Stadium, Rashford came off the bench to add another.
After a difficult buildup, England's performance will offer encouragement to coach Gareth Southgate, who has recently endured the most challenging period of his England tenure. After his side lost 4-0 to Hungary in June, he was booed by his own fans who chanted, "You don't know what you're doing." Hundreds of fans missed the start of the match as a result of a problem with digital tickets. Following their arrival at their seats, they witnessed an outstanding performance by the English team.
During the 35th minute, Jude Bellingham scored his first international goal. In the 43rd minute, Saka scored his first goal of the match, followed by Raheem Sterling's second goal in stoppage time in the first half. In the 65th minute, Mehdi Taremi scored for Iran to tie the game once again. Saka scored his second shortly after the hour mark. After Rashford's goal in the 59th minute, England had extended their lead to 5-1, and Grealish added a sixth in the 90th minute. Following John Stones' penalty for holding Morteza Pouraliganji's shirt in the box, Taremi added another for Iran from the penalty spot. A clash of heads between Iran's goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand and a teammate caused him to be injured and carried off the field early in the team's opening World Cup match against England on Monday. Despite the game being paused for several minutes while Beiranvand received treatment following the collision with Majid Hosseini at the Khalifa International Stadium, Beiranvand initially attempted to continue playing.
As a result, Iranian team medics and captain Ehsan Hajisafi were treating the goalkeeper, who had a bloody nose and appeared to be in discomfort. It was reported that Hajisafi splashed water on Beiranvand's face at one point. Although substitute Hossein Hosseini was ready to replace Beiranvand, Iran opted to leave him on the field, a decision that appeared to contravene FIFA's concussion protocol. When there is evidence of brain damage, or when a concussion is suspected despite the absence of symptoms, a doctor/therapist should remove the player from the field for a more detailed evaluation (if a concussion substitute is available or required)," according to the guidance of the governing body. As Beiranvand continued, he asked to be substituted moments later before collapsing to the ground and eventually leaving the field on a stretcher.
By Rashmi Goel
