England made the perfect start to their World Cup campaign as they cruised to a dominant 6-2 win over Iran. In the process, Gareth Southgate overtook Sir Alf Ramsey as the manager with the most wins at major tournaments in charge of the Three Lions (nine).A rather cynical backdrop surrounded the build up to this clash, with England opting out of wearing the One Love armband while the Iranian players refrained from singing their national anthem. A sombre mood led to a cagey opening before Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was eventually substituted for a concussion after a hefty collision with his own defender.Iran team do not sing national anthem before first World Cup gameGareth Southgate’s men resumed complete control of the contest and soon imposed their dominance to race into a lead. Harry Maguire went close as his header hit the bar, before 19-year-old Jude Bellingham netted his first international goal with a glorious glancing header into the far corner. Perhaps smelling blood, England went in for the kill and netted twice more before the break. Luke Shaw, provider of the first goal, delivered a corner that was nodded down by the ever-dangerous Maguire, allowing Bukayo Saka to strike a sumptuous volley in off the underside of the bar.Raheem Sterling netted the third, firing home his first World Cup goal at the near post after being picked out by Harry Kane to put the contest well beyond a helpless Iran side. England were absolutely dominant in the first half, completing 366 passes before the break – the second highest total in a World Cup match since 1966.A triple substitution from Iran boss Carlos Queiroz stemmed the tide temporarily, but England were back on the scoresheet on the hour mark. Played in by Sterling on the right, Saka cut inside and slotted home his second of the game. To their credit, Iran refused to give in and fired in a consolation through their talismanic forward Mehdi Taremi who ran behind Maguire and rifled home a brutal strike, beating Jordan Pickford off the underside of the bar.There would be a swift response though, as England struck back and restored their four-goal lead through Marcus Rashford. Within seconds of coming off the bench, the Manchester United man cut inside and coolly slotted home his first major tournament goal, before Jack Grealish tapped in after being found by Callum Wilson to complete the rout. Iran succumbed to their heaviest ever defeat at the finals, despite a contentious late penalty from Taremi, placing even greater significance on their clashes with Wales and the United States of America.QATAR 2022 WORLD CUPGroup BMondayEngland – Iran 6-2 (3-0)/Bellingham 35, Saka 43, 62, Sterling 45+1, Rashford 71, Grealish 90 – Taremi 65, 90+12 p/22:00: (2.50) USA (3.00) Wales (3.40)***odds are subject to change***
