England made the perfect start to their FIFA World Cup campaign as they cruised to a dominant 6-2 win over Iran.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
