England vs Iran Live Commentary, FIFA World Cup 2022

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Group A
1	Netherlands	3	2	1	0	5	1	4	7
2	Senegal	3	2	0	1	5	4	1	6
3	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	4	3	1	4
4	Qatar	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0
Group B
1	England	3	2	1	0	9	2	7	7
2	USA	3	1	2	0	2	1	1	5
3	Iran	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
4	Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	-5	1
Group C
1	Argentina	3	2	0	1	5	2	3	6
2	Poland	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	Mexico	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
4	Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3
Group D
1	France	3	2	0	1	6	3	3	6
2	Australia	3	2	0	1	3	4	-1	6
3	Tunisia	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	Denmark	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1
Group E
1	Japan	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
2	Spain	3	1	1	1	9	3	6	4
3	Germany	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4
4	Costa Rica	3	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3
Group F
1	Morocco	3	2	1	0	4	1	3	7
2	Croatia	3	1	2	0	4	1	3	5
3	Belgium	3	1	1	1	1	2	-1	4
4	Canada	3	0	0	3	2	7	-5	0
Group G
1	Brazil	3	2	0	1	3	1	2	6
2	Switzerland	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
3	Cameroon	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
4	Serbia	3	0	1	2	5	8	-3	1
Group H
1	Portugal	3	2	0	1	6	4	2	6
2	Korea Republic	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
3	Uruguay	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Ghana	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

Matches Played

Matches Won

Matches Drawn

Matches Lost

Goals For (Goals scored by a team)

Goals Against (Goals conceded by a team)

Goal Difference

Pts

Total Points

With a thumping 6-2 win, England grab an early lead in Group B and will be positive about their chances of surpassing the group stage. As for Iran, nothing is impossible and it can all be turned around with a positive result against Wales. That's all from my side today. Stay tuned for the next match. Till then, take care, goodbye!

🔎 | FOCUS

Bukayo Saka v Iran:

⏱️ 71' played
👌 48 touches
⚽️ 2 goals (0.21 xG)
🎯 3 shots/3 on target
🔑 1 key pass
👟 23/28 accurate passes
⚔️ 5/11 duels won
📈 8.5 Sofascore rating

Our highest-rated player in England's dominant victory! 🌟#ENGIRN #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/CCLe32mZxb
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) November 21, 2022

Iran will have some positives from this match and will be looking to do much better against Wales in their second fixture. England will be planning to book their place in the knockout stages with a win over USA in their next match. The group couldn't have started on a better note and let's hope to witness such entertainers throughout the tournament.

6 - England recorded their biggest ever victory in their opening match at a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) and scored six goals in a major tournament game for the only the second time in their history, also doing so against Panama at World Cup 2018 (6-1). Assured. pic.twitter.com/OD0oNRxU5S
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 21, 2022

Iran never had a chance in the game. Their hopes were heavily dented at the end of the first half as England stormed through with three goals. Iran did manage to pull two goals back but it was too late. As far as Gareth Southgate is concerned, he couldn't have asked for a better performance.

FULL TIME! England register a convincing victory over Iran, scoring six goals in their World Cup campaign opener.

90+13' Mehdi Taremi scored from the penalty spot. The Iranian attacker sends Pickford the wrong way and sends the ball to the right. Iran score their second.

90+11' PENALTY!! John Stones is found guilty after having unnecessarily pulled the shirt. Iran have the chance to score one more.

90+10' VAR checking for a penalty shout in the England box. Looks like John Stones is guilty of pulling an Iranian shirt.

90+8' CHANCE!! Sardar Azmoun's misses a glorious chance to score Iran's second. Azmoun was allowed a free run on goal, only Pickford standing in his way but the England goalkeeper did well to get something on it and help the ball onto the cross-bar.

90+7' Grealish is fouled by Pouraliganji at the half-line.

◉ Jude Bellingham
◉ Bukayo Saka x2
◉ Raheem Sterling
◉ Marcus Rashford
◉ Jack Grealish

Every England goalscorer against Iran netted their first-ever World Cup goal in this game.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/YS3BYh6OcV
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2022

90+3' Never looked like England were not in control but some of the finishes have been top-quality today.

Jack said he’d do the celebration if he scored and he just did. What a guy! https://t.co/nPhjIOD1sq
— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker115) November 21, 2022

Additional time: 10 minutes

89' GOOOALL! Grealish adds the sixth goal for England. Callum Wilson makes a smart run on the right and does really well to find Grealish in free space. The Manchester City does well to add more delight to the English fans.

88' England have a great amount of depth in their squad, which is not the case with every team in the tournament. This should encourage the Three Lions to go all guns blazing for a triumph in Qatar.

Marcus Rashford scores his first World Cup goal. He now has 9 goals and 3 assists in all competitions for Manchester United and England this season.

Back with a bang. 💥 pic.twitter.com/Y3JP800P01
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 21, 2022

84' Marcus Rashford at it again. Does wonderfully well to wiggle his way through inside the box and have a pop at the goal with his left foot. Unlucky for him that the shot got blocked. The Manchester United winger looks confident and sharp.

83' England continue to find new ways to attack the Iranian box. That's probably their biggest asset with the dynamic and variety of players in their squad.

It took Marcus Rashford just 2️⃣6️⃣ seconds and 3️⃣ touches to score after being introduced as a sub.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 5-1 🇮🇷 pic.twitter.com/fqeagaHxuH
— TEAMtalk (@TEAMtalk) November 21, 2022

77' Ahmad Nourollahi is subbed off. Sardar Azmoun comes on for Iran.

77' CHANCE! Taremi has a difficult chance inside the box on the right but fails to control it.

75' Harry Kane is subbed off. Callum Wilson comes on.

Marcus Rashford has scored at a major tournament for the first time in his senior international career.

That did not take long. 🔥#FIFAWorldCup
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2022

71' Rashford has been in superb form at the club level for Manchester United and he has started his World Cup campaign amazingly well. England restore their four-goal lead.

71' GOOOALL! Marcus Rashford makes an instant impact as he scores from the right with a cool finish using his left foot.

70' Mason Mount is subbed off. Phil Foden comes on.

70' Raheem Sterling is subbed off. Jack Grealish comes on.

70' Bukayo Saka is subbed off. Marcus Rashford comes on.

70' Harry Maguire is subbed off. Eric Dier comes on.

68' Harry Maguire seems to be struggling with something and has left the pitch. England continue to play with 10 men for now.

66' The Iran goal might just change the entire tempo of the game.

65' It is a first-time shot from Taremi, taking Jordan Pickford by surprise, giving the English goalkeeper very little time to stop it.

65' GOOOALL! Iran pull one back as Mehdi Taremi scores finishes incredibly well.

64' England prepare three substitutions as Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Callum Wilson take their position to come on.

63' Milad Mohammadi is subbed off. He's replaced by Mehdi Torabi.

62' GOOOALLL! Bukayo Saka doubles his tally with some wonderful foot-work inside the box coming in from the right. He beats past two players and rolls the ball into bottom-left corner.

England passing the ball around like 2018 Spain 🇪🇸#BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KXrT02KrQQ
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 21, 2022

59' After an impressive first half, England have looked a bit sloppy with their passes. Southgate will surely look to address that to his players.

John Stones and Jude Bellingham did not misplace a single pass in the first half against Iran. 💯#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/kFAHqRl07Y
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2022

56' Sterling misses a good opportunity on the counter after linking up well with Harry Kane on the counter from the heart of the pitch. England still have a chance as they have a corner to capitalize on.

55' Another corner for Iran as they struggle to clear the ball away from the box.

54' England win their first corner of the second half as Bellingham made a smart run into the box, only for his cross to be cleared out for a corner.

52' With their defensive approach, the Iranian players have been reluctant to press. Wonder how different the game could have been had they adopted that style and tested the English players in possession.

48' Morteza Pouraliganji is shown a yellow card for making a poor tackle from behind on Harry Kane.

46' Roozbeh Cheshmi is subbed off. He's replaced by Hossein Kanaani.

46' Ali Karimi is subbed off. He's replaced by Saeid Ezatolahi.

46' Alireza Jahanbakhsh is subbed off. He's replaced by Ali Gholizadeh.

46' England kick-start the second half. Iran have brought in three new faces on the pitch, clearly stating their intent.

Harry Maguire’s first half by numbers vs. Iran:

100% aerial duels won
90% pass accuracy
59 touches
8 long balls completed
1 shot off the woodwork
1 key pass
1 assist

Making an impact. 🧱 pic.twitter.com/6b4Ggr0M2h
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 21, 2022

There is very little for Gareth Southgate to not be happy about given how his team has performed so far. They have looked confident on the ball and are capable of hurting Iran even more in the second half. It all depends on how the Asian team approaches the second half.

35' - England 1-0 Iran
43' - England 2-0 Iran
46' - England 3-0 Iran

Don't say it... pic.twitter.com/lxihR3SOwl
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) November 21, 2022

Iran sat back for the most part of the first half but it couldn't help in restricting England from scoring. Carlos Quieroz will have to encourage his players to follow an attacking approach to have any hope of making a comeback in the second half. At the same time, Gareth Southgate will be at the luxury of exploring his bench and give game-time to some of his other talented footballers.

The game started slowly with Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand getting injured with a concussion. While England took their time to get going, they surely made it count with their opportunities. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with his first-ever World Cup goal at the age of 19. Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling followed him with two wonderful volleys to give Gareth Southgate a wonderful cushion after the end of the first half.

45+14' HALF TIME! The referee blows the whistle as England end the half with a stunning three-goal lead.

45+13' Mason Mount wins a free kick. Shaw is keen on taking it and giving his teammates once last chance to increase the lead.

Youngest players to score for England at the men’s World Cup:

◎ Michael Owen (18y 190d)
◎ Michael Owen (18y 198d)
◉ Jude Bellingham (19y 145d)
◉ Bukayo Saka (21y 77d)

Young Lions.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/nkFeNvqDFG
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 21, 2022

45+11' CHANCE! Iran hit on the counter after a poor pass from Trippier in midfield. Jahanbakhsh goes with a volley with his right foot but shoots it over.

🔥 England is going bonkers on a Monday afternoon. 3 first half goals and #ThreeLions are flying!

🎥 @BoxparkCroydon | #ENG 3-0 #IRN pic.twitter.com/O3wFXykDG9
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 21, 2022

45+7' England look very comfortable on the ball. It is all on Iran now to show up in the second half.

🏆 Raheem Sterling at a World Cup:

🇧🇷 Brazil 2014 - Shots 4; Goals 0
🇷🇺 Russia 2018 - Shots 10; Goals 0
🇶🇦 #Qatar2022 - Shots 1; Goals 1

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 3-0 🇮🇷
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 21, 2022

45+4' Iran head out the ball form the corner but are unable to keep themselves the breathing space.

45+3' Another corner for England. What can they come up with this time?

45+2' 14 minutes are added as significant time was consumed in aiding Alireza Beiranvand with his injury

Additional time: 14 minutes

45+1' GOOOALLL! England in total control as Sterling adds one more to the scoreline. Bellingham helps Kane to provide a wonderful cross from the right, after which Sterling attacks the ball in the box to thump it home.

44' What a wonderful finish from the Arsenal youngster capitalizing on the half chance in the box.

43' GOOOALLL!!! Saka scores a wonderful volley from Maguire's header to double the lead for the Three Lions.

43' England win their third corner of the game. Interesting to see how Iran plan to handle Harry Maguire.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jude Bellingham now has as many World Cup goals as Wayne Rooney (1). pic.twitter.com/Trg2zVWKBM
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 21, 2022

40' England growing in confidence after the goal as they pass better with a positive approach.

🦁 Jude Bellingham is just the 𝑺𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑫 teenager, after Michael Owen, to score for England at a World Cup

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1-0 🇮🇷#Qatar2022
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 21, 2022

36' Credit to Bellingham for making the run in the box and being available in the right position at the right time for England's opener.

19-year-old Jude Bellingham opens England’s scoring.

His first international goal arrives at the World Cup ✨ pic.twitter.com/qwiKMmNFKo
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 21, 2022

35' Shaw had plenty of time on the left after which he provided a glorious cross for Bellingham to score on his World Cup debut.

34' GOOOALL! England score as Bellingham guides a header from a wonderful Luke Shaw cross from the left.

33' Maguire showing his deadly attacking instincts from set-pieces once again.

32' OFF THE BAR! Harry Maguire hits the cross-bar from Trippier's beautiful corner. Unlucky for the Manchester United defender.

31' England win their second of the game as Sterling's move in the box is defended well by Iran.

30' CHANCE! Mason Mount has a good chance from a right angle inside the box but he hits it side-netting.

27' Hossein Hosseini makes an easy save from Bukayo Saka's lose curling shot from the right.

26' Saka fouls Karimi, giving Iran a breather.

25' Alireza Jahanbakhsh is shown the game's first yellow as he produces a late tackle on Luke Shaw

24' England having the majority of the possession but are yet to create a clear goal-scoring chance.

21' Iran are awarded a free-kick on the left, which gives them their first chance to attack the England goal.

21' Play resumes as Iran enter the England half for the first time in the game.

19' Alireza Beiranvand is subbed off and on comes Hossein Hosseini

What made any medic think that keeper could stay on? Absolute joke. Madness. And dangerous. #ENGIRN @talkSPORT
— Adrian Durham (@talkSPORTDrive) November 21, 2022

17' Alireza Beiranvand has gone down again and it clearly looks like he will have to be subbed off.

15' Looks like the Iranian goalkeeper is fine enough to continue and give it a go. Positive news for the Asian team.

12' Alireza Beiranvand is still being treated and with time it looks tricky for the Iranian goalkeeper to continue.

Raheem Sterling has now made more England appearances (80) than John Barnes (79). No current England player has more.

🧢 80 caps
⚽ 19 goals
🅰️ 26 assists

Experience. ⭐ pic.twitter.com/Ncd1AUl5sH
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 21, 2022

9' Alireza Beiranvand injures himself while attempting to clear Kane's cross as he collides with Hosseini

8' Kane puts a tempting cross in the box but no teammate of his is available to guide it home.

7' Saka is fouled on the right. Trippier on it but takes a quick short kick.

That foul on Maguire/Stones gets given in the 2018 World Cup
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) November 21, 2022

3' Harry Maguire goes down as the corner is taken but the referee denies any foul play.

3' England win the first corner of the game as Kieran Trippier is set to take it.

2' Declan Rice is playing the holding role with Bellingham and Mount helping him out, making themselves available for short passes.

1' Here we go! Iran kick-off the first half hoping to cause a massive upset in their opening fixture.

The teams are out as the kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.

Jude Bellingham becomes the first man to start in a World Cup game for England having never played in the Premier League since Owen Hargreaves (in 2002 and 2006).
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) November 21, 2022

Given England's recent form, Iranian fans can be optimistic about their chances. Iran manager Carlos Quieroz will be hoping to hold his team together at the back and hit the Three Lions on the counter as much as possible.

🆚 | COMPARISON

Gary Lineker and Harry Kane are the only two players with more than five #FIFAWorldCup goals for England, so we compared their numbers on the biggest stage. 📊⬇️

Do you think Kane can match, or even better Lineker's goalscoring record in Qatar? 🤔#Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/5o7E62Qeie
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) November 21, 2022

England captain Harry Kane will play a key role not only in this fixture but throughout the entire tournament as the team heavily relies on him in front of the goal.

Many English fans are still stuck outside the stadium and slowly making their way inside because of the tight security and struggle with ticket scanning.

19y 145d - Aged 19 years and 145 days, Jude #Bellingham is the third youngest England player to start at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18y 198d) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18y 347d). Debut. #ENGIRN #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mywS5N5Stp
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 21, 2022

Amidst a lot of uncertainty, England manager Gareth Southgate has gone ahead with four at the back and has shown a positive intent already against Iran. Manchester United defender Harry Maguire gets the nod in the starting XI despite not featuring regularly for the Red Devils so far this campaign.

First World Cup start for Jude ✅🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://t.co/YtX1rmznKm
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) November 21, 2022

Substitutes available for Iran: Payam Niazmand, Amir Abedzadeh, Hossein Hosseini, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Hossein Kanaani, Abolfazl Jalali, Saeid Ezatolahi, Vahid Amiri, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Ali Gholizadeh, Sardar Azmoun, Ramin Rezaeian and Karim Ansarifard.

Substitutes available for England: Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben White, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Callum Wilson.

Iran (3-5-2): Alireza Beiranvand, Morteza Pouraliganji, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Majid Hosseini, Sadegh, Moharrami, Ahmad Nourollahi, Ali Karimi, Ehsan Haji Safi (C), Milad Mohammadi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi

England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane (C), Raheem Sterling

The team news is out. Let's have a look at the starting XI.

Interestingly, it is the first time that England and Iran are meeting each other in men's international football.

Iran have enjoyed a good run, with only one defeat in their last five matches. Despite the odds being in favor of England, the Asian team will be looking to secure at least a point from this fixture.

England are touted to be one of the front-runners to win the tournament in Qatar but it is not going to be easy for them. The Three Lions head into the match without a win in their last six matches and will be eager to turn it around in their campaign opener.

Hello and Welcome to Sportskeeda's LIVE coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 fixture between England and Iran in the first group match of Group B from the Khalifa International Stadium. This is your host Priyank Mithani, who will keep you company throughout the live action.

Date & Time

21 November, Mon 06:30 PM IST

Tournament

FIFA World Cup

Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium

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