England blast six past hapless Iran

ENGLAND kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup on Monday with a comprehensive 6-2 rout of Iran, in a Group B match at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.

Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka led the England charge with a double in the 44th and 62nd. Jude Bellingham (35th), Raheem Sterling (45th), Marcus Rashford (71st) and Jack Grealish (90th) added one each for the 1966 World Cup winners.

Iran were thoroughly outplayed in the 90 minutes and were already 4-0 down when striker Mehdi Taremi pulled one back in the 65th. A penalty from Taremi in added-on time added little respectability to the total.