World Cup

ENGLAND swept Iran aside with ease to get their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start.Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a superb header, before quickfire goals from Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling put the game to bed before the break.
Jude Bellingham scored England’s first goal of the World CupCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Bukayo Saka scored twice in the 5-1 win over IranCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
The irresistible Saka added another after the break and both Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish came off the bench to net, with two Iran consolations through Mehdi Taremi.
And the 6-2 victory, Gareth Southgate will hope, should set the tone for the next two group games.
Repeat performances in the games against USA and Wales would see the Three Lions breeze into the knockouts, with Bellingham’s expert looping header adding more millions to his transfer value.
Here’s how SunSport’s Dan King rated the Three Lions…
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Jordan Pickford – 6
Tough to judge him in a game in which he didn’t have a save to make.
But his long distribution was not the best, even when not under pressure. Almost punished for dallying on ball early in second half.
Dived the wrong way for Taremi’s stoppage time penalty.
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Kieran Trippier – 7
Got forward from the start and dead-ball deliveries were a regular threat.
Was guilty of some loose passes, however, and one almost let Iran in twice in the second half.
Must be sharper against better opponents.
John Stones – 7
An understated but important performance that gave others the chance to shine.
Solid at back, stepped into midfield to help keep the ball moving quickly as England established and maintained dominance.
Harry Maguire – 8
Should have earned penalty, hit the bar, started move for first goal, won header for second.
But just as you thought, ‘Take that, haters!’, lost his man for Iran’s goal – although seemed to have knock on head.
Harry Maguire was superb before having to come off injuredCredit: Reuters
Luke Shaw – 7
Once England sorted out the congestion down the left, he came into the game.
Lovely cross for Bellingham’s goal and well-worked corner that led to the second.
His left foot will be key to England’s hopes. 
Declan Rice – 7
At times played like the captain SunSport columnist Tony Adams thinks he should be.
Main role was tidying up but made important interception at 1-0.
Loose header led to Iran’s best first-half chance.

Jude Bellingham – 9
Gave a brilliant mature performance in his first tournament start.
Glided round the pitch like a boss, running with the ball and running the game.
Great header to break the deadlock, crucial role in the third.
Bellingham marshalled the midfield superbly
Bellingham’s pass map against Iran
Mason Mount – 7
Fought Sterling for space early on but then found his groove.
Shot into side-netting before playing part in opening goal and kept popping up where Iran didn’t want him to be.
Like Saka, took some kicks.
Bukayo Saka – 9
At it from the start, working hard to make things happen against opponents happy to stay in their own half.
Brave on the ball and in taking the fouls that followed.
Lovely finish for his first, deserved deflection for second.
Saka celebrates after scoring his secondCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Raheem Sterling – 7
Started slowly, but played his part in Mount’s chance and Bellingham’s opener before ending his personal goal drought in fine style.
You could see the confidence returning as he surged to play Saka in for his second.
Harry Kane – 7
Insisted he was happy to be provider as well as scorer and he wasn’t kidding.
An unselfish display, often back to goal and dropping deeper to help bring others into the game.
Teed up Sterling and Rashford’s goals.
Substitutes
Marcus Rashford (on for Saka, 70 mins) – 7
Scored before the stadium announcer had even finished announcing England’s four subs. Cool finish. Almost had a second.
Jack Grealish (on for Sterling, 70 mins) – 7
Like Manchester City colleague Foden, kept the ball well but didn’t go for the jugular. In the right place to get the sixth.
Phil Foden (on for Mount, 70 mins – 6
Fine pass gave Rashford another chance. Neat and composed, with the odd dangerous touch around the box.
Eric Dier (on for Maguire, 70 mins) – 6
Let Iran in soon after coming on but fortunately the shot was off target.
Otherwise solid.
Callum Wilson (on for Kane, 75 mins) – 7
Useful experience as he made his major tournament debut and unselfishly squared for Grealish to score. More

RAMPANT England announced themselves as serious World Cup contenders – as they equalled their best ever tournament result by demolishing Iran. Bukayo Saka netted a brilliant double after Jude Bellingham’s first international goal had powered England in front. 
Bellingham, 19, celebrates with Mason MountCredit: Getty
Saka is congratulated for his first-half strikeCredit: Reuters
Raheem Sterling volleyed home the last of a three-goal ten-minute blitz before half-time.
And sub Marcus Rashford added the fifth with his first touches for England since missing a penalty at last year’s Euros before Jack Grealish completed the rout. 
It was sensational stuff from Gareth Southgate’s side, who arrived at the tournament on the back of a six-match winless run, with the manager widely criticised for being overly-cautious. 
This was nothing of the sort as an Iranian team ranked as high as 20th in the world, and known for defensive meanness, were blown to smithereens.
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Captain Harry Kane provided two assists in one of his best all-round performances for England – despite failing to find the net himself.  
Plenty of normally-sensible people had been tipping England to win this World Cup, which – after such a miserable Nations League relegation campaign seemed quite a leap of faith. 
That was until England started surging forward, their front three outstanding, with the 19-year-old Bellingham properly announcing himself on the world stage with a performance of influence and authority. 
This was not a perfect performance – there were moments of raggedness in midfield and defence which would be punished by stronger opponents – but it was mightily impressive and it felt as if Southgate had taken the handbrake off.
England dominated possession in rout of Iran
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Bukayo Saka was outstanding against Iran
England face the United States on Friday and Wales next Tuesday but they look like storming through Group B and into the knock-out phase after this rout.  
Southgate’s starting line-up was an attacking one, his loyal yeoman Harry Maguire in the centre of a back four, despite his struggles at Manchester United. 
The England boss showed similar loyalty to out-of-form Sterling and handed a first tournament start to Bellingham. 
After the controversy over Kane’s ‘One Love’ armband – he didn’t wear it when Fifa made it apparent that he’d be booked for it – England took the knee and made a bright start, moving the ball with pace and purpose. 
Maguire appeared to be wrestled over by Rouzbeh Cheshmi from a corner but Brazilian ref Raphael Claus and his VAR were having none of it. 
A quick-thinking Kieran Trippier free-kick released Kane down the right but keeper Alireza Beyranvand pushed away the captain’s centre, collided with his own defender, knocking him out and leaving him with a bloodied nose. 
There was an eight-minute delay while he was treated, then Beyranvand swiftly collapsed to the floor again and was eventually carried off on a stretcher – replaced by Hossein Hosseini.  
Jude Bellingham glances England in front on 35 minutesCredit: PA
Bukayo Saka volleys England into a 2-0 leadCredit: Getty
Jude Bellingham had a huge impact on his World Cup debut
After a sharp passing move, Saka’s low centre was met by Mount, who shot into the side netting at the near post.
Sterling executed a nutmeg and forced a corner, with Trippier’s centre crashed against the bar post by Maguire, who had moved well to win his header. 
And on 35 minutes, England were ahead, Luke Shaw centring from the left and Bellingham rising to beat his man and arc home a header which powered into the far corner, with Hosseini rooted to the spot. 
It was Bellingham’s first international goal, on his 18th England appearance, but a continuation of a fine run of goalscoring for Borussia Dortmund this season.  
Within eight minutes, England doubled their lead, Shaw’s corner met with a downward header by Maguire, with Saka lashing into the roof of the net via a minor deflection.
And just two minutes later, it was 3-0 thanks to a cracking passing move. 
Bellingham surged forward and fed Kane, whose perfect right-wing cross was poked home on the volley by the on-rushing Sterling. 
When Iran finally got a sight on goal, during 15 minutes, Ali Jahanbakhsh volleyed over – and he was one of three players hooked by boss Carlos Queiroz at half-time. 
Raheem Sterling stabs England into dreamlandCredit: Reuters
Sterling celebrates making it 3-0 before half-timeCredit: Getty
Early in the second half both Kane and Trippier suffered knocks but carried on regardless.
The fourth goal was a gem. Kane’s header intercepted a goal kick, Sterling pounced and fed Saka, who teased his full-back and fooled three Iranian defenders before he side-footed home with maximum cool, Hosseini motionless once more.
Iran responded, though, with a peach of their own – Ali Gholizadeh’s reverse pass was leathered home first time by Porto’s Mehdi Taremi. 
Maguire appeared to suffer a head injury during the build-up and was replaced by Eric Dier, while Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford arrived in place of Sterling, Saka and Mason Mount.  
And seconds later, Rashford added a fifth – Kane held it up brilliantly and fed Rashford, who kippered his full-back, cut in from the right and slotted home brilliantly.
Then Bellingham won a 50-50 tackle and made a killer pass with the same touch – and two more subs combined, Callum Wilson surging down the right and unselfishly cutting back for Grealish to net the sixth.
Jordan Pickford made an excellent save to tip a Sardar Azmoun shot onto the bar in the dying seconds.
But from the resulting corner, VAR awarded a penalty for a John Stones shirt-pull and Teremi slotted home a consolation from the spot.
Declan Rice played a key role in midfield
Saka is congratulated after making it 4-0Credit: Alamy
Mehdi Taremi grabs a consolation goalCredit: Getty
Marcus Rashford makes it 5-1 immediately after coming onCredit: Getty More

IRAN refused to sing their national anthem in a brazen snub to the country’s brutal regime. The Iranian XI stood tall but silent as the anthem played ahead of their clash with England at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
Iranian players refused to sing the national anthemCredit: Reuters
Some players bowed their heads during the anthemCredit: Reuters
Iran’s team made their first gesture in apparent support of the protestsCredit: Getty
Iranian fans in the Qatari stadium were moved to tears by the incredible gesture as protests continue to sweep the Islamic Republic.
It came after many fans back home accused the squad of siding with a violent state crackdown ahead of the World Cup.
Protests demanding the fall of the ruling regime have gripped Iran since the death two months ago of young woman Mahsa Amini.
She was arrested and allegedly beaten to death for flouting the strict Islamic dress code.
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Dozens of Iranian public figures, athletes and artists have displayed solidarity with the protesters.
But there was anger as the national team remained in a state of silence.
The players however turned this silence into a gesture ahead of their game with England as they refused to sing the national anthem.
Iranian state television did not show the players lined up for the anthem before the match got underway just across the Gulf.
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The Iranian squad could not avoid being overshadowed by the anti-government unrest that has rattled the regime.
Ahead of the match, no Iranian player had voiced support for the demonstrations by compatriots from all walks of life.
It is one of the most sustained challenges to the cleric elite since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“All of us are sad because our people are being killed in Iran but all of us are proud of our team because they did not sing the national anthem – because it’s not our national (anthem), it’s only for the regime,” said one Iranian fan.
In the past, the Iranian team was a source of fired up national pride.
Now, with mass protests, many would prefer it withdrew from the World Cup.
Before travelling to Doha the team met with hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
I know it is their job to play football but with all those children killed in Iran, they should have stood in solidarity with the peopleSetareh
Photos of the players with Raisi, one of them bowing in front of him, went viral while the street unrest raged on, drawing an outcry on social media.
“I have mixed feelings. I love football but with all these children, women and men killed in Iran, I think the national team should not play,” said Iran fan Elmira, 24.
“It is not Iran’s team, it is the Islamic Republic’s team.”
“They could refuse to take part in the World Cup or even refuse to play if they were forced to go, to show that they are part of the nation, to show solidarity with mothers in Iran whose children were killed by the regime (during protests).”
The activist HRANA news agency said 410 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Saturday, including 58 minors.
Some 54 members of the security forces had also been killed, HRANA said, with at least 17,251 people arrested. Authorities have not provided an estimate of any wider death count.
“I know it is their job to play football but with all those children killed in Iran, they should have stood in solidarity with the people,” said Iran fan Setareh, 17.
Iranian fans could be seen crying in the stands
“Especially when the England team is going to kneel (in solidarity), how can the national team show no solidarity?”
Some Iranian fans who went to Qatar for the World Cup made no secret of their solidarity with the unrest.
They carried banners that read “Women, Life, Freedom” in support of the protests.
“Freedom for Iran. Stop killing children in the streets!” shouted one Iranian woman.
Another Iranian woman with the colours of an Iranian flag painted on her face said Iran is a football-crazed nation.
“But this year,” she said, “everything is different, all we care about is this revolution and for people to get their freedom back, and not be scared to just walk on the street, do and dress as they want, and say what they want.”
In the capital Tehran, some banners of the national team have been burned by angry protesters.
Pictures of children killed in the protests were widely shared by Iranians on Twitter, with messages such as: “They loved football too, but they were killed by the Islamic Republic.”
“Those children took risks for their country and were killed by the regime. The national team should take risks and show solidarity with the nation,” said Iran fan Hamidreza, 19.
Pejman Zarji, a 38-year-old sports coach who was in Qatar for the World Cup, said the Iranian team belonged to the people not the government.
He said: “There is always – no matter what – a part that’s about politics.
“There’s something really important to understand (now) – ‘Team Melli’ is what we call the Iran team, it’s the team of the people before being the team of the government.
Sara Masoudi, 32, another Iranian fan in Qatar who works for a media management company, played down the protests at home.
They were “very small” but the media made them out to be large, she told Reuters.
“I don’t see a lot of fans here who are supporters of the protests. Social media is giving a wrong picture of reality.”
The Sun Online also spoke to an Iranian football legend who vowed he would be supporting England against Iran. More