England vs. Iran final score, result: Saka and Bellingham star in World Cup opener to hit Queiroz’s men for six
England trounced Iran 6-2, with Bukayo Saka scoring a goal in each half, to kick off their World Cup Group B campaign in dramatic form.
Table of Contents
- England vs. Iran final score, result: Saka and Bellingham star in World Cup opener to hit Queiroz’s men for six
- England vs. Iran final score card
- England vs. Iran live stream, highlights from the 2022 World Cup
Gareth Southgate’s choice to start Saka ahead of Manchester City’s Phil Foden paid rewards, as did his decision to stay with stalwarts Harry Maguire and Raheem Sterling despite their poor club form.
At halftime, Sterling made it 3-0 after Jude Bellingham headed in his first international goal and Saka lashed into the top corner from Maguire’s knockdown.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi scored midway through the second half and then converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it was in vain as further goals from Saka and substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish demonstrated Southgate’s England’s fondness for tournament football.
England vs. Iran final score card
| 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.
Carlos Queiroz’s preparations for his Iran side to frustrate and spoil went up in smoke after half an hour, with their cause hampered by a head injury that forced goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand out of the game.
When Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham nodded in Luke Shaw’s cross after Maguire thudded a Kieran Trippier corner against the crossbar, Beiranvand’s replacement Hossein Hosseini had no chance.
Throughout the first half, Iran looked uneasy under England setpieces, and Saka rifled home from Maguire’s knockdown to make it 2-0.
It got worse for Queiroz’s men when Sterling, who failed to score during England’s run to the semifinals in Russia 2018, volleyed home Harry Kane’s cross.
After an hour, the Chelsea winger turned provider when he found Saka, and Kane paired with Rashford in a similar manner for the Manchester United favourite to make an immediate impact from the bench.
In between those goals, Taremi slammed home via the crossbar and also netted a penalty deep into stoppage time after John Stones was unjustly penalised via VAR for an infraction at a corner. Callum Wilson had teed up Grealish by that point, after the magnificent Bellingham tore Iran apart with a perfect throughball. This was England’s declaration of intent.
England vs. Iran live stream, highlights from the 2022 World Cup
There is no time for England to kick off. Southgate and his team can be quite pleased after playing with an irresistible swagger throughout. Saka was the two-goal hero, and Bellingham appears to be the type of guy that might help this squad take the next step. Thank you for coming!
GOOAAALLL!! 90th minute+13: GOOAAALLL!! Taremi!!!
Pickford is sent the wrong way by Iran’s number nine. He is tied for first place in the Golden Boot standings with Saka and Ecuador’s Enner Valencia.
Could we please go home now?
90th minute+11: Iran is penalized! When compared to the challenge on Maguire in the second minute, that seems ridiculous.
90th minute+10: VAR review, potential penalty for Iran. Will this game ever come to an end? John Stones is a suspected suspect in a shirt pull. However, it would be a soft one.
90th minute+8: Azmoun breaks through and slams into the goal. The ball collides with the crossbar. Replays indicate Pickford got a fingertip on it – an incredible save.
90th minute: 10 minutes of stoppage time. The bureaucrats acting as rule enforcers does Iran no favours.
89th minute: GOOOAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Grealish!!!
With a beautiful throughball, Bellingham shatters Iran’s backline. Wilson’s pace in the rear is something Iran is not prepared to deal with at this point. He returns it to Grealish for a simple finish.
86th minute: There is no alcohol on the grounds at this World Cup, but England continues to pour champagne as Foden’s backheel almost sets up Rashford.
In the 85th minute, a swarm of Iranian bodies blocks Rashford’s path back into the area. They really need this one to be over with as soon as possible. At the very least, there will be less injury time this half!
In the 77th minute, Taremi comes on again, but this time he tries to welt the ball all the way to Doha, and his shot goes wide.
76th minute: Iran’s star player Azmoun comes on in the. Perhaps things might have turned out differently if he had been totally fit, but his teammates have made it a very difficult case to make. Kane may not have scored, but the England captain has been outstanding. Wilson will be looking for a goal.
71st minute: GOOOAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Rashford!!!
As simple as you want! Kane drops deep in his usual manner. He finds Rashford, who cuts inside and slots home left footed for his first major tournament goal.
70th minute: Iran sees an opportunity with this unforeseen man advantage and launches an attack along England’s right flank. Noorollahi fires broadly. Pickford is enraged at the referee. The adjustments are now taking place. The other men to make way are Sterling, Saka, and Mount.
68th minute: We have yet to resume play following Iran’s goal. Maguire is leaving, looking quite drowsy. England makes a four-man substitution, with Dier joining Foden, Grealish, and Rashford. To England’s chagrin, despite booting the ball out from kickoff, the referee has not allowed subs to enter the field, and they are playing with 10 men.
65th minute: GOOOAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Taremi!!!!
Iran has agreed to participate. Taremi takes a pass from one of the substitutes, Gholizadeh, and clatters in via the crossbar off the back of Harry Maguire.
64th minute: Deckchairs on the Titanic scenes and another alteration by Queiroz. Mahdi Torabi has the dubious pleasure of becoming a member of a failing damage-limitation legislation.
62nd minute: GOOOAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Saka!!!!
Arsenal’s star picks up Sterling’s ball, cuts inside, and clips a deflected shot into the far corner. It’s all practise.
61st minute: Iran’s substitute Ezatolahi sends a harmless daisy cutter wide. Pickford yells at his England teammates, perhaps to tell them that he is still present.
60th minute: England’s play has a fluidity that has been lacking for some time. Saka enters the field. Bellingham enters the Iran box. Shaw is about to charge forward. His drive is blocked, but the threat is coming from all directions, and Iran, which is normally obstinate, is unable to keep up.
56th minute: Sterling and Kane had a lovely exchange. Sterling appears to be going for the one-two, but Majid Hosseini comes across to make an important challenge. It’s just around the corner. Following Shaw’s delivery, there is a foul, and Iran is awarded a free kick.
51st minute: Trippier thumps it into the wall. Kane is back on his feet, but England’s comfortable advantage means there’s no need to take any unnecessary chances. Trippier is no longer alive. Southgate may want to make sure that increasing Iranian rage does not take out any of his key players.
48th minute: Pouraliganji sneaks in and catches Kane on his ankle. That appears to be a serious one, and the England captain is being treated. You think Trippier will appreciate the look of the free-kick when we resume?
46th minute: Southgate is in the enviable position of maybe being able to give some of the rest of his team minutes, with this one looking like it’s all but won. Iran may be hoping to leave Bellingham soon.
Halftime: Finally, after a nearly hour-long half. It will have felt much longer for Iran’s struggling players. There were genuine fears about England going into this game, and there will be more difficult tests ahead. But Southgate, his staff, and his players have once again demonstrated that they know how to play tournament football. They were superb in the second half, with all of the coach’s questionable selections, from Maguire to Sterling, being completely justified.
45th minute+10: Trippier sloppily gives the ball away, contradicting his excellent first half performance. Iran launches an attack, but Jahanbakhsh volleys wildly over.
45+ minutes: GOOOAALLLLL!!!! Sterling!!!
And they can’t even keep one of them. England carves Iran apart down the right, Kane crosses, and Sterling does what he couldn’t do in Russia 2018: he scores a World Cup goal.
45th minute: The bad news for Iran is that there will be 14 minutes of injury time.
43rd minute: GOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Saka!!!
Wallop! Iran is once again struggling to contain Maguire in a corner. Saka receives the ball and drives it into the top corner from 15 yards out.
35th minute: GOOOAAAALLL!!!! Bellingham!!!
Takeoff for England. More incisive interplay from Southgate’s team. Sterling feeds Shaw down the left side. Bellingham expertly timed his run to go home after the fullback sent up a cross.
32nd minute: Maguire leaps to his apex and thuds the bar once more. Another fantastic Trippier performance.
31st minute: England almost throws itself into danger on the edge of their own box, but Bellingham gets his foot in and they break. Sterling produces a wonderful nutmeg, and England has taken another corner. Perhaps tellingly, the referee has just mentioned holding.
30th minute: England had a great chance in the 30th minute! Saka and Trippier unite once more down the right. Mount slams into the side netting after the Arsenal player cuts back a low pass. At the very least, he should be putting the goalkeeper to the test.
27th minute: Hossein Hosseini makes his debut after a cross from Saka. He says it clearly, and the Iranian fans applaud.
22nd minute: Iran has a promising free kick along England’s right flank. Jahanbakhsh takes but fails to complete the cross straight at Trippier.
17th minute: Beiranvand’s nose is bleeding again. This is quite impolite. Iran’s No. 1 is now lying on his back in his six yard box. He’s squeezing his head. Hossein Hosseini will make his competitive international debut now.
12th minute: Beiranvand is still down. It’s not looking good for Iran’s number one as understudy Hossein Hosseini warms up on the sidelines. Aside from his ability between the posts, Beiranvand may have developed into an attacking weapon for Iran as the game progressed. He holds the record for the longest goalkeeping throw in football history. He can basically launch it to the edge of the opposing penalty area. It’s all ludicrous.
9th minute: Iran’s goalkeeper is being treated for a bloodied nose. After that daring action, Beiranvand clashed horribly with his defender Hosseini. The medical crew is going over the concussion protocols.
8th minute: Trippier catches Iran off guard with a fast free kick to Kane in the eighth minute. With Sterling lurking, the captain sends in a dangerous cross, and Beyranvand gets a crucial touch. Maguire is unable to turn home at the far post.
6th minute: Mount gets into a dangerous small pocket between the lines in the sixth minute. Shaw’s cross to Saka is cleared, but that’s exactly why the Chelsea player is there.
4th minute: That seemed like something like to a bear hug on Maguire. Stones were also lost in the snafu. The VAR decides that everything is fine.
2nd minute: England gets off to a good start in the second minute. Fullbacks are getting nice and tall. Trippier, one of them, will deliver a corner from the left. Maguire falls and requests a penalty. He could be right, you know…
3 minutes from kickoff: The players have arrived on the field, and the anthems have begun. Tracksuit tops remain on, with no trace of Kane’s wristband. Iran fans in the stadium responded angrily to their national song, despite the fact that horrors were taking place at home.
5 minutes kickoff: Remember this unsung hero from four years ago? He begins today…
20 minutes before kickoff: Queiroz, a former member of Alex Ferguson’s coaching staff at Manchester United, sounds like he’s been trying to soften England up beforehand with plenty of compassion.
40 minutes to kickoff: Iran’s formation appears to be a 5-4-1, with Carlos Querioz relying on a career’s worth of pragmatism. Azmoun, the dangerman, starts on the bench. Mehdi Taremi of Porto will be the lone striker up front.
1 hour before kickoff: The England team has arrived, as expected. Maguire, Saka, Mount, and Sterling all make their debuts.
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 |