England have sent a very strong notice with an emphatic 6-2 thrashing over Iran in the opening group B clash of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 'Three Lions' set off with a brighter start and kept the Iranians at bay, and were vast ahead in terms of possession and chances creation.
England appealed for a penalty after just four minutes into the kick which was even awarded initially but was overturned after a VAR check.
The Team Melli's looked completely off and their game plan of always wanting to spot marksman Mehdi Taremi wasn't functioning as he been held tight by the England defence.
Bukayo Saka came so close to finding the back of the net on the 24th minute but his drive was dealt with nicely by Hossein Hosseini.
Gareth Southgate's men finally opened the lead through Jude Bellingham who scored with a close range header on the 35th minute.
Bukayo Saka doubled their lead on the 44th minute with a low left foot effort before Raheem Sterling made it three just two minutes after to go into the break.
Back from the break, Iran returned a bit stronger compared to their initial approach but finding their way through opposition territory was the problem.
Bukayo Saka completed his brace on the 62nd minute to complete the riots after tapping into the net from Raheem Sterling assist.
Iran finally found the back of the net on the 65th minute. Who else? FC Porto's Mehdi Taremi who connects from Ali Gholizadeh's cross.
The Persians nearly scored again on the 70th minute after the same Gholizadeh played Saied Ezatolahi in with a decent ball but missed out narrowly.
A quick reply from substitute Marcus Rashford who scored again on the 71st minute to make it 5-1.
Just nineteen minutes after his introduction, Jack Grealish also hit the target to extend England's lead but Mehdi Taremi once again restored it back to four after scoring on the spot. It finished 6-2 for England after full time.
The other group B game comes up tonight at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium between USA and Wales in Al Rayyan.
