Bukayo Saka stars as England open FIFA World Cup campaign with 6-2 rout of Iran

This was only the second time when England scored five or more goals in a major tournament match. The first time they did it was against Panama (6-1) in the 2018 World Cup. Both have come under Gareth Southgate. England made a mockery of Iran's defence in the match by scoring three goals in each half while Mehdi Taremi was the lone scorer for Iran.

The second match of the tournament also saw VAR come into play which resulted in Iran getting the penalty for a minor shirt pull and Taremi successfully converting it for a consolation in the dying seconds of the match. The match also took place against the background of turmoil in Iran after months of female-led demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman of Kurdish origin who was arrested by the morality police in Tehran. Iran's players refused to sing their national anthem in apparent support for anti-government protesters. England came into the tournament without a win in six games, but a dynamic opening 45 minutes in which Bellingham scored his first England goal, Saka doubled the lead and Sterling grabbed a third set up a second-half stroll.

Saka's second goal after the break allowed them to take their foot off the gas and opened the door for Iran to grab one back through Mehdi Taremi, before substitutes Rashford and Grealish rounded off England's scoring. England's cause was helped when Iran's influential goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was forced off the pitch after 20 minutes following a sickening clash of heads with a team mate but they took full advantage. England's 19-year-old midfielder Bellingham underlined why some of Europe's biggest clubs have got him in their sights, as he purred like a Rolls-Royce in the engine room and