World Cup

JUST when Harry Maguire thought his season could not get any more frustrating.The England defender, after an absolutely wretched season with Manchester United, looked back to his old self at the Khalifa International Stadium today.
Harry Maguire looked back to his best against IranCredit: Reuters
The defender was forced off mid-way through the second halfCredit: Getty
Maguire was treated on the pitch for a suspected concussionCredit: Getty
Jude Bellingham put England in front with his first England goalCredit: EPA
Goalscorers Bellingham and Bukayo Saka celebrateCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
His defending was composed, his passing through the lines was outstanding and in the final third of the pitch – in what was a terrific England performance – he was causing absolute chaos.
And then moments after Mehdi Tarebi pulled one goal back for 4-1 in the 65th minute, with fingers pointing at Maguire, the defender was being checked by a medic for concussion.
Soon after, a bewildered-looking and totally pi**ed off Maguire was trudging off the pitch.
His afternoon was done and England brought on Eric Dier as the replacement. For poor old Harry, you really could not make it up.
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This one blip, though, should take nothing anyway from an utterly brilliant England performance.
Officially, Maguire did not go off with a concussion meaning he could play against the United States on Friday.
After delivering his worst ever England performance in the 3-3 draw with Germany in September, Maguire was delivering one of his finest.
Ahead of the game, there were huge cheers, with only stifled jeers when Maguire’s name was announced.
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Many supporters back home, though, will have felt slightly different, believing Gareth Southgate’s loyalty had gone too far.
Maguire, who has only started three Premier League games this season for United, barely put a foot wrong here at the Khalifa International Stadium until signalling he could not continue.
The centre-back had strong calls for a penalty after being wrestled to the ground by Rouzbeh Chesmi, with the pair having a running battle. But after a VAR check, no spot-kick was given despite Maguire’s protests.
Maguire then had the first chance of the game but was unable to get a clean connection to Harry Kane’s cross.
During the lengthy stoppage time for the Iranian keeper, England’s fans behind the goal, about 4000 of them, delivered a rendition of the Harry Maguire song, something the central defender will have loved.
Maguire then rattled the Iranian crossbar with a powerful header from Kieran Trippier’s corner.
And Maguire then started the brilliant move with a clever pass from the back that led to Luke Shaw crossing for Jude Bellingham to light up the game with an outstanding header.
Saka scored twice as England romped to a 6-2 winCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Marcus Rashford scored moments after coming onCredit: Getty
Raheem Sterling also got on the scoresheetCredit: Reuters
Maguire was one of the first to congratulate the 19-year-old and then played a part in the second goal.
Because of the tussles he was having at set-pieces, Maguire dropped back to the edge of the area. It was an obvious ploy and he was picked out by Luke Shaw from another corner to tee the ball up for Bukayo Saka to produce a stunning finish for the second.
Raheem Sterling, playing on the left of a front three, had not seen the ball as much as Saka, but he made his presence felt by sticking out a foot to dispatch Kane’s cross into the net.
Maybe with his confidence back, Maguire was spraying the ball around the pitch and on one occasion in the second half, tore forward in a counter-attack.
The highlight of the game, in terms of individual skill, was certainly Saka’s goal for 4-0.
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Tarebi pulled one back as he drifted around the back of Maguire to score. And to make matters worse, Maguire had clearly taken a knock to the head before the goal and went off with that injury.
Yet the goals kept flowing with Marcus Rashford scoring with his first touches since missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final while Jack Grealish put the seal on an incredible England performance before Iran pulled another back with a ridiculously-awarded penalty. More

FANS are all saying the same thing after there were 24 minutes added to England’s World Cup opener against Iran.The Three Lions were dominant in the 6-2 thrashing of their opponents, but fans were talking about the staggering amount of added time.
Referee Raphael Claus added 24 minutes of injury time across the two halves of England’s game against IranCredit: Getty
One said: “24 minutes of extra time is something.”
Another tweeted: “They are 6-1 down, 10 minutes extra time is violence.”
A third added: “This is a 114-minute football match without going to extra-time. I think it’s over, ref.”
A fourth said: “24 minutes of extra time they’re trying to extend this suffering lmao.”
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In the first half there were 14 minutes added on, mostly due to the head injury to Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
The Iranian collided with his own defender and spent a long time on the ground.
He had tried to play on but was eventually replaced as it was evident that he could not carry on.
In the second half, England’s Harry Maguire also suffered a head injury and was forced to be substituted.
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Captain Harry Kane also required some treatment for a knock on his ankle, but he was OK to carry on.
Time was also added on for the substitutes that came on, with each team replacing five players throughout the game.
Another reason for the amount of added time was down to the insistence from FIFA to clamp down on time-wasting.
Two of the senior World Cup whistlers, Holland’s Danny Makkelie and Chris Beath of Australia, both confirmed that refs will ensure extra time is added to stop the wasters gaining an advantage.
Makkelie, one of the leading contenders to take charge of the Final on December 18, said: “You can expect longer halves, for sure. 
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“This is one of the topics we have spoken about. 
“It will not be strange to see six, seven, eight minutes of extra time. 
“We did this in Russia and everybody was positive. And for sure we will continue this approach here.” More

HIS rise has been as fast as one of his galloping runs from midfield.Jude Bellingham, 19, gave England the perfect start to their World Cup campaign by heading home the opener in the 6-2 win against Iran.
Jude Bellingham celebrates giving England the lead with Mason MountCredit: Reuters
Bellingham’s towering header gave the Three Lions the perfect startCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
It was in 2020, when football fans around the world were shocked that Borussia Dortmund paid £30million to snatch him from Championship side Birmingham.
But, today he could be worth four times that – after excelling in the Bundesliga and establishing himself in Gareth Southgate’s team.
His nine goals in all competitions this season show why he has been compared to box-to-box midfield legend, Bryan Robson.
While Bellingham, the son of a non-league footballer and policeman, became only the second teenager to score for the Three Lions at a World Cup.
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And football’s hottest property will certainly continue to interest the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and Man Utd as he continues his incredible form.
To think, modest Bellingham once hoped that he could have a career as good as dad, Mark.

Record breaker
Bellingham made his Birmingham City debut in 2019 aged 16 years and 38 days in the Carabao Cup against  Portsmouth, becoming the Blues’ youngest player.
Bellingham has come a long way since his days in Birmingham’s youth teamsCredit: Twitter @bellinghamjude
Goalscoring midfielder Bellingham celebrates scoring for his boyhood clubCredit: PA:Empics Sport
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His impressive technique, as well as comparisons to Robson, saw the wonderkid linked with a move to Manchester United – who were said to have had a bid turned down for the talent.
Europe’s giants also circled, as the player who was earning just £145-per-week as a scholar was about to become one of the most highly-paid youngsters in the game.
Guiding him through his career is his dad, Mark, a sergeant in the West Midlands Police — and prolific former non-league striker who played over 700 games for teams such as Stourbridge, Leamington, Bromsgrove and Halesowen.
While his brother Jobe Bellingham is also making a name for himself at Birmingham.
“If I get anywhere near that I’ll have had a great career. I’ll try my best!” Bellingham said comparing his own achievements to his father’s.
“My mum, dad, brother, grandparents — they are the reason I’m here today, because of all the sacrifices they have made.”
Jude Bellingham’s dad Mark, left, played non-league footballCredit: Birmingham City FC
Bellingham became Birmingham City’s youngest ever player in 2016Credit: Rex Features
Beating Trevor Francis
Birmingham legend Trevor Francis – the previous youngest Blues scorer – was watching his grandson play for their Academy when he first heard about Bellingham.
There had been a buzz about him for some time and Francis asked people: “Who is he? They say he could beat my record.”
In 2019, he did just that — at 16 years and 63 days — when he grabbed the winner to sink Stoke.
It meant Bellingham eclipsed Francis twice in a month after his age-defying debut against Pompey.
Bellingham later revealed: “The kind of person I am meant I wanted to beat the record, or see how close I could get to it because I’ve heard how great Trevor Francis was.”
Having impressed so much, he went on to make 44 appearances in all competitions in his first season.
In 2019, Bellingham beat Trevor Francis’ goalscoring recordCredit: PA:Empics Sport
A young Bellingham poses with Birmingham legend Trevor FrancisCredit: Refer to Caption
Germany calling
It seemed inevitable that Bellingham would move on to bigger and better things after starring in the Championship at such a precious age.
But a move to Borussia Dortmund was a shock, given his suitors at the time.
He visited Manchester United, who arranged a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson to help push a deal over the line.
However, after seeing how Sancho had prospered after leaving United’s rivals Manchester City, Bellingham was drawn to Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund signed Bellingham from Birmingham for £30mCredit: Borussia Dortmund
Bellingham (C) poses as he signs his contract next to Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke (L) and sporting director Michael ZorcCredit: Getty Images
He flew to Germany in the summer of 2020 to sign a deal worth £30million – the highest fee for a 17-year-old ever.
“I’m incredibly excited to have joined one of Europe’s biggest clubs,” he said at the time.
“The direction they are heading in and how much they help to improve young players made it an easy decision for myself and my family.”
Bundesliga success
Immediately recognising his talent, Dortmund thrust Bellingham into their first team to blood the boy.
And they were justified with that decision, again with the teen breaking even more records.
On his debut in the DFB-Pokal against third-tier MSV Duisburg Bellingham scored the second goal in a comfortable 5-0 win.
His strike after half-an-hour made him the youngest scorer in a competitive match for the club – breaking Nuri Sahin’s record by six days.
Bellingham has starred for Dortmund in GermanyCredit: AP:Associated Press
With nine goals this season, Bellingham is flying for DortmundCredit: EPA
Then, when he appeared in the Champions League against Lazio in 2020, Bellingham became the youngest Englishman to start a Champions League match, breaking the record previously set by Phil Foden.
He also made history earlier this season when he became the youngest captain in the Bundesliga after he was handed the armband for a match against Cologne.
On the world stage his talents were recognised for this year’s Golden Boy Award – coming second behind Spain wonderkid Gavi.
Bellingham’s time has come. And in Qatar, he could further improve his stock with more swashbuckling displays. More