England's World Cup campaign opened in a thoroughly convincing fashion as they outclassed Iran during an incident-packed Group B match in Doha. Gareth Southgate's side strolled to victory, with Iran's hopeless plight made worse after the early loss of their goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, to concussion after a clash of heads with his team-mate Majid Hosseini. Jude Bellingham got England off the mark with a soaring header from Luke Shaw's pinpoint cross ten minutes before the break shortly after Harry Maguire had hit the bar. The game was effectively wrapped up before half-time thanks to Bukayo Saka's fine strike and Raheem Sterling's classy volley with the outside of his foot from Harry Kane's centre. Iran's supporters were given a moment of delight when Mehdi Taremi scored a fine goal after sixty five minutes but it only produced a ruthless response from England as Saka scored his second and substitute Marcus Rashford added a fifth with his first involvement - both smooth, composed strikes. To put the gloss on an incredibly dominant display, Jack Grealish slotted home from close range after a good run and square pass by follow substitute Callum Wilson. Iran did pull another back in injury time when Taremi slotted in a penalty after a John Stones foul. The game - which included a whopping twenty four minutes of added time across both halves - finished, as they used to say on the Grandstand vidiprinter, England 6 (SIX), Iran 2. It was played out against the backdrop of yet more off-field controversy after England (and several other nations) were forced to ditch plans to wear OneLove armbands promoting diversity and inclusivity under threat from those well-known appeasers of fascists and dictators FIFA of players being cautioned should they carry out the gesture. It is almost impossible to deliver any firm judgement on England's World Cup prospects given the paucity of Iran's opposition but this could hardly have gone better for Southgate as his one major selection decision reaped a rich dividend and the result was near perfect (though he still expressed some post-match dissatisfaction at his side conceding two sloppy goals). Iran were expected to provide stern resistance as they currently reside in the top twenty FIFA rankings and have a recent victory against Uruguay on their record but England made light work of the task once Bellingham gave them the lead. Bellingham is being touted as one of the emerging talents at this World Cup, the nineteen-year-old Borussia Dortmund player is already a target for a host of the game's elite names. Even in the context of this game, Bellingham showed exactly why as he joined Saka as the dominant force in this game, scoring his first England goal with a magnificent header and bestriding midfield with a complete authority that belied his tender years. This was only the second time England have scored six goals in a major tournament but, on this evidence, one would not bet against the brilliant Bellingham being involved the next time it happens. Southgate picked Saka ahead of Sheikh Yer Man City's Phil Foden, the only mildly contentious decision in his line-up, but there can be no arguments after a hugely impressive performance from the twenty one-year-old who has played such a big part as The Arse currently lead the Premier League. Saka scored twice and was a threat throughout and thoroughly deserved the warm applause he received when he was substituted. It will get harder for England as they face the United States and Wales but this was the perfect start. Iran suffered the early setback of losing goalkeeper Beiranvand to suspected concussion but this was never going to change the course of the game give the chasm in class between the two sides. Iran coach Carlos Quieroz hinted at a bold approach beforehand but once the game settled down following an opening twenty minutes littered with interruptions, this match was only going one way. Iran's many fans had a moment of joy when Taremi thumped home his finish but there was little else to celebrate in this game as their team took one Hell of a beating. This was not a day without great significance, however, as both Iran's players and supporters used this global stage to make their feelings clear about the growing human rights protests against the ruling regime in their homeland. Their national anthem was shouted down by the supporters and none of the Iran players joined in singing it. Iranian fans could also be heard chanting 'Ali Karimi' in the first-half in reference to the former footballer who is one of the most outspoken critics of the Islamic Republic and among the most popular faces of the protest movement. The fans could also be heard chanting 'Be-Sharaf', which means 'dishonourable' in Persian. This is an adjective that protesters have used against security forces in Iran. It's also a useful phrase to describe that risible coward and arsehole Gianni Infantino and his idiot views. Hundreds of fans missed the start of the match because of what was described as 'an issue' with FIFA's ticketing app.
