England start with a bang and put six past hapless Iran

England got their World Cup campaign off to a flying start as they rattled in the goals past a shell-shocked Iran and cruised to an impressive 6-2 Group B victory in a timely return to form for Gareth Southgate's side.

England came into the tournament without a win in six games, but a dynamic opening 45 minutes in which Jude Bellingham scored his first England goal, Bukayo Saka doubled the lead and Raheem 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 Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish rounded off England's scoring.

While Iran's Taremi grabbed another from the penalty spot in the 13th minute of stoppage time, given for a minor shirt pull after a VAR review, England's work was already done.

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"We haven't played the best coming into the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do," said Saka, whose last major tournament ended with him missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout.

At a World Cup that has been dominated by politics, despite FIFA's determination that the football should be left to do the talking, the buildup to the game was overshadowed by issues off the pitch.

England's captain Harry Kane had abandoned plans to wear a 'One Love' armband when FIFA made clear that those who bore the multi-coloured symbol of diversity and inclusion could be booked, with the striker eventually opting for a FIFA-approved "No Discrimination" version.

There was also swirling speculation that Iran's players would use the platform to show solidarity with