England vs. Iran final score, result: Saka and Bellingham star in World Cup opener to hit Queiroz's men for six

Dom Farrell

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England vs. Iran final score, result: Saka and Bellingham star in World Cup opener to hit Queiroz's men for six image

Bukayo Saka starred with a goal in each half as England thrashed Iran 6-2 to get their World Cup Group B campaign up and running in emphatic fashion.

Gareth Southgate’s call to start Saka ahead of Manchester City’s Phil Foden was vindicated, while his decision to stick with stalwarts Harry Maguire and Raheem Sterling despite their poor club form also paid dividends.

Sterling made it 3-0 at halftime after Jude Bellingham headed his maiden international goal and Saka lashed into the top corner from Maguire’s knockdown.

Mehdi Taremi got Iran on the scoresheet midway through the second half and netted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but that was scant consolation as further strikes from Saka and substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish once again demonstrated the taste Southgate’s England have for tournament football.

England vs. Iran final score

  1H 2H Final
England 3 3 6
Iran 0 2 2

Goals:

ENG — Jude Bellingham (Luke Shaw) — 35th minute.

ENG — Bukayo Saka (Harry Maguire) — 43th minute.

ENG — Raheem Sterling (Harry Kane) — 45th minute +1.

ENG — Bukayo Saka (Raheem Sterling) — 62nd minute.

IRN — Mehdi Taremi (Ali Gholizadeh)  — 65th minute

ENG — Marcus Rashford (Harry Kane) — 71st minute.

ENG — Jack Grealish (Callum Wilson) — 89th minute.

IRN — Mehdi Taremi (penalty)  — 90th minute+13.

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Carlos Queiroz's plans for his Iran side to spoil and frustrate went up in smoke after the half hour, with their cause not helped by a head injury that forced goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand from the action.

After Maguire thudded a Kieran Trippier corner against the crossbar, Beiranvand's replacement Hossein Hosseini had no chance when Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham nodded in Luke Shaw's cross.

Iran looked uneasy under England setpieces throughout the first half and Saka rifled home to make it 2-0 from Maguire's knockdown.

It got worse for Queiroz's men when Sterling, who failed to score on England's run to the semifinals at Russia 2018, dispatched Harry Kane's cross on the volley.

The Chelsea winger turned provider when he found Saka after the hour and Kane combined with Rashford in similar fashion for the Manchester United favourite to make an instant impact from the bench.

Taremi thumped home via the crossbar in between those goals and also netted a penalty deep into stoppage time when John Stones was very harshly punished via VAR for an infringement at a corner. By that point, Callum Wilson had teed up Grealish after the magnificent Bellingham tore Iran apart with a perfect throughball. This was a statement of intent from England.
 

England vs. Iran live as it happened, highlights from 2022 World Cup

Fulltime: No time for England to kickoff. Silly ended there, but Southgate and his players can be very satisfied after playing wth an irresistible swagger throughout. Saka was the two-goal hero and Bellingham looks like the sort of player who might just help this team to take the next step. Thanks for joining us!

90th minute+13: GOOAAALLL!! Taremi!!!

Iran's number nine sends Pickford the wrong way. He's level with Saka and Ecuador's Enner Valencia at the top of the Golden Boot standings. 

Can we all go home now, please?

90th minute+11: Penalty to Iran! Comparing that to the challenge on Maguire that happened way back in the second minute, that feels absurd.

90th minute+10: VAR check, possible penalty to Iran. Will this game ever end? John Stones the possible culprit for a shirt pull. But it'd be a soft one.

90th minute+8: Azmoun gets through and crashes goalwards. The ball thumps into the crossbar. Replays suggest Pickford got a fingertip on that — an astonishing save.

90th minute: Blimey, 10 minutes stoppage time. The officials being stickers for the rules is doing Iran no favours.

89th minute: GOOOAAALLLLL!!!!! Grealish!!!

Bellingham slices Iran's backline to pieces with a sumptuous throughball. Wilson's pace in behind is not something Iran are equipped to deal with at this stage. He cuts it back to Grealish for a simple finish.

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86th minute: No alcohol in the grounds at this World Cup but more champagne stuff from England as Foden's backheel almost sets up Rashford.

85th minute: A cluster of Iranian bodies throw themselves in the way as Rashford breezes into the area again. They really need this one to be over soon. At least there'll be less injury time this half!

77th minute: Taremi is in again but tries to welt the ball all the way to Doha and his shot goes wide.

76th minute: Star man Azmoun is on for Iran. Maybe things would have been different if he'd been fully fit but his teammates have made that a very, very hard case to make. Kane might not have scored but the England captain has been excellent. On comes Wilson and he'll fancy a goal.

71st minute: GOOOAALLLLL!!!! Rashford!!!

Simple as you like! Kane drops deep in his customary style. He finds Rashford, who chops inside and slots home left footed to claim his first goal in a major tournament.

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70th minute: Iran sense a chance with this unplanned man advantage and attack down the England right. Noorollahi fires wide. Pickford fumes at the referee. Now the changes happen. Sterling, Saka and Mount are the other men to make way.

68th minute: We're yet to resume after that Iran goal. Maguire looking very groggy and he's going off. That's part of a quadruple change for England, with Dier coming on along with Foden, Grealish and Rashford. Much to England's frustration, despite booting the ball out from kickoff, the referee has not allowed the subs to come on and they're playing with 10 men.

65th minute: GOOOAAALLLL!!!! Taremi!!!!

Iran are on the board. Taremi runs off the back of Harry Maguire onto a pass form one of the subs, Gholizadeh and clatters in via the crossbar.

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64th minute: Deckchairs on the Titanic scenes and Queiroz makes another change. Mahdi Torabi has the dubious pleasure of joining a failing damage-limitation act.

62nd minute: GOOOAALLLL!!!! Saka!!!!

Two for the Arsenal star, who collects Sterling's pass, cuts inside and clips a deflected shot into the far corner. Training ground stuff.

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61st minute: Substitute Ezatolahi drives a daisy cutter harmlessly wide for Iran. Pickford shouts at his England teammates, maybe just to remind them that he's still there.

60th minute: There's a fluency to England's play that has been lacking for some time. Saka comes in field. Bellingham gets into the Iran box. Here comes Shaw charging forward. His drive is blocked but the threat is coming from all over the place and a usually obdurate Iran cannot get a handle on things.

56th minute: Lovely interplay between Sterling and Kane. Sterling looks like he might be in after the one-two but Majid Hosseini gets across to make an important challenge. It's another corner. There's a foul after Shaw's delivery and Iran have a free-kick.

51st minute: Trippier thumps it into the wall. Kane is back on his feet but England's handy lead means there's no need to take undue risks. Trippier himself is now down. Southgate might want to make sure mounting Iranian frustration doesn't take out any of his key men.

48th minute: Pouraliganji slides in and catches Kane on his ankle. That looks a nasty one and the England captain is receiving treatment. When we resume, you think Trippier will very much like the look of the free-kick.

46th minute: We're back underway. Southgate is in the luxurious position of maybe being able to give some of the rest of his squad minutes, with this one looking like it's more or less in the bag. Iran might hope to see the back of Bellingham soon.

Halftime: Finally, after a half that lasted almost an hour. For Iran's beleaguered players it will have felt much longer. There were understandable concerns about England heading into this game and there'll be tougher tests to come. But Southgate, his staff and his players have again showed they know exactly how to do tournament football. They were brilliant in that half, with all of the coach's questions selections, from Maguire to Sterling, absolutely vindicated. 

45th minute+10: Trippier sloppily gives the ball away, somewhat at odds with a brilliant half from the Newcastle defender. Iran attack but Jahanbakhsh volleys wildly over.

45th+1 minute: GOOOAALLLLL!!!! Sterling!!!

And they can't even hold out for one of them. England carve Iran apart down the right, Kane crosses and Sterling does what he didn't manage to do for the duration of Russia 2018 and scores a World Cup goal.

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45th minute: The absolutely abysmal news for Iran is there will be 14 minutes of injury time.

43rd minute: GOOOAAAALLLL!!!! Saka!!!

Wallop! Iran struggle to contain Maguire at a corner once again. The ball drops to Saka and he crashes it into the top corner from 15 yards.

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35th minute: GOOOAAAALLL!!!! Bellingham!!!

Lift off for England. More sharp interplay from Southgate's side. Sterling plays in Shaw down the left. The fullback stands up a cross and Bellingham times his run perfectly to head home.

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32nd minute: Crossbar! Maguire gets up highest and thuds one again the bar. Another excellent Trippier delivery.

31st minute: England almost play their way into trouble on the edge of their own box but Bellingham gets his foot in and they're away on the break. Sterling pulls out a lovely nutmeg and England have another corner. Perhaps tellingly, the referee has just had a word about holding.

30th minute: Big chance for England! Saka and Trippier again combine sharply down the right. The Arsenal man cuts back a low cross and Mount crashes into the side netting. He should be testing the goalkeeper at the very least.

27th minute: A cross from Saka gives Hossein Hosseini his first action. He claims it cleanly and the Iranian fans roar.

22nd minute: Promising free kick for Iran down the England right. Jahanbakhsh takes but duffs the cross straight at Trippier.

17th minute: Blood streaming from Beiranvand's nose again. This is unseemly in the extreme. Iran's number one now lies down, flat on his back in his six yard box. He's grabbing his head. Hossein Hosseini will now come on for his competitive international debut.

15th minute: Hang on, it looks like Beiranvand is going to carry on. He's changed his shirt and on he goes. He looks unsteady on his feet and this really feels like a bad idea for all concerned. Once again, football's approach to concussion looks, frankly, pathetic and not fit for purpose.

12th minute: Beiranvand is still down. It's not looking good for Iran's number one as understudy Hossein Hosseini goes through some warmups on the touchline. Aside from his prowess between the posts Beiranvand could have proved an attacking weapon for Iran the longer this game went on. He holds the record for the longest recorded goalkeeping throw in football. Basically, he can launch it to the edge of the opposition penalty area. It's ridiculous stuff.

9th minute: Iran's goalkeeper is getting some treatment and has a bloodied nose. Beiranvand clashed horribly with his defender Hosseini after that brave intervention. The medical staff are running through the concussion protocols.

8th minute: Trippier catches Iran napping with a quick free-kick to Kane. The captain puts in a dangerous cross and Beyranvand gets a vital touch with Sterling lurking. Maguire just can't turn home at the far post.

6th minute: Mount gets into a dangerous little pocket between the lines. Shaw's cross towards Saka is cleared but that's exactly what the Chelsea man is there for.

4th minute: Well, that looked like something approaching a bear hug on Maguire. Stones went down in the snafu as well. The VAR decides that's all fine.

2nd minute: Bright start from England. Fullbacks getting nice and high. One of them, Trippier, will deliver a corner from the left. Maguire takes a tumble and asks for a penalty. He might have a point, you know...

3mins from kickoff: The players are out on the pitch and the anthems are underway. Tracksuit tops still on, no sign of Kane's armband yet. Iran fans in the stadium gave their own anthem a hostile reception against a backdrop of atrocities going on back at home.

5mins from kickoff: Remember this absolute hero from four years ago? He starts today...

20mins from kickoff: Queiroz, who was once a valued member of Alex Ferguson's coaching staff at Manchester United, sounds like he's been trying to soften England up with plenty of kindness beforehand.

What can I say about England? One of the top national teams in the world," he said. "They are serious candidates to be in the final position, why not a contender to be the world champion?

They reached a wonderful position in the last World Cup and Euros. They have a storm of talent.

I worked with the generation of Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and David Beckham but this national team is really different because they have a realistic approach to any single game which makes them very, very dangerous."

40mins from kickoff: It looks like a 5-4-1 for Iran, with Carlos Querioz likely to tap into a career's worth of pragmatism. Dangerman Azmoun starts on the bench. Porto striker Mehdi Taremi will plough a lone furrow up front.

1hr from kickoff: Here we are then, the England team is as reported. Maguire, Saka, Mount and Sterling all start.

1hr 30mins from kickoff: Team news will be with us shortly, with reports in England suggesting Gareth Southgate will revert to 4-3-3. It'll mean starts for Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling in support of skipper Harry Kane, with Manchester City's Phil Foden the odd man out,

2hrs from kickoff: Iran were impressive during qualification, with eight wins from 10 games in the final round to secure top spot in Group A and an automatic place in Qatar. They have some key experience at the back, including captain Hajsafi, but Azmoun is the undoubted star turn. England beware!

2hrs 30mins from kickoff: In that context, the notion of trying to win a World Cup feels like small fry. For Iran, that is probably well beyond them, but they do have the capacity to cause England a few problems today. Not least if star striker Sardar Azmoun is fit to play. The Bayer Leverkusen striker has been nursing a muscle injury, and he will be a game-time decision for Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

3hrs 30mins from kickoff: In the Iran camp, there has been similar focus on events away from the field, with Team Melli captain Ehsan Hajsafi making headlines on the eve of the match after using his pre-match press conference to speak out on conditions in his home country. There have been mass anti-government protests in Iran in recent weeks, which have been met with a fierce crackdown from authorities.

4hrs from kickoff: In the build-up to today's match, much of the talk has actually focused on matters off the pitch, with England forced to scrap their previously stated plan for captain Harry Kane to wear the 'OneLove' armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights over the fear of possible sanctions from FIFA. You can read all about the controversy here.

4hrs 30mins from kickoff: For England fans there is a sense of mixed anticipation for this game. Almost 18 months on from their Euro 2020 final heartbreak, the Three Lions have an updated squad, with some exciting attacking personnel, such as Bellingham and Maddison, but on the flip side a distinct lack of recent form. Then there is the history of major tournament what-might-have-beens. Could this finally be the time for football to 'come home'? 

5 hrs from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Group B opener between England and Iran. If yesterday's opening match between Qatar and Ecuador got you excited for what's to come over the next few weeks, then you should know that this match is the first of three exciting encounters today. Let's get going!

England vs. Iran lineups, team news

England (4-3-3 right to left): 1. Pickford (GK) — 12. Trippier, 5. Stones, 6. Maguire, 3. Shaw — 22. Bellingham, 4. Rice, 19. Mount — 17. Saka, 9. Kane, 10. Sterling

Iran (5-4-1, right to left): 1. Beiranvand (GK) — 2. Moharrami, 15. Cheshmi, 19. Hosseini, 8. Pouraliganji 5. Mohammadi —  7. Jahanbakhsh, 3. Hajsafi, 18. Karimi, 21. Nourollahi — 9. Taremi

England vs. Iran live stream, TV channel

The match will start at 4 p.m. local time at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, which was built in 1976 and provided the setting for two FIFA Club World Cup matches in 2019.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Monday, Nov. 21 08:00 ET Fox, Telemundo fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock 
Canada Monday, Nov. 21 08:00 EST CTV, TSN TSN app
UK Monday, Nov. 21 13:00 GMT BBC One BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Australia Tuesday, Nov. 22 00:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
India Monday, Nov. 21 18:30 IST Sports18 Voot, JioTV
Hong Kong Monday, Nov. 21 21:00 HKT — Now TV
Malaysia Monday, Nov. 21 21:00 MYT Astro, RTM  Astro Go, RTMKlik
Singapore Monday, Nov. 21 21:00 SGT Channel 5 MeWatch, Singtel, StarHub
New Zealand Tuesday, Nov. 22 02:00 NZDT Sky Sport Sky Go

Watch the match on fuboTV in USA:

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.