Gareth Southgate's England started the Qatar World Cup very convincingly, defeating the humble Iran with a deep score of 6-2. The difference in quality was more visible between the teams, and the "3 Lions" dominated the match from start to finish, never doubting the victory.
It was Jude Bellingham who opened the series of goals for England in the 35th minute of the meeting, after Luke Shaw's perfect cross. Before the end of the first half, the "3 Lions" found the net 2 more times, with Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, thus securing the victory in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half the picture was the same as Saka scored the second goal, before Iran scored a beautiful goal through Taremi in the 65th minute. Jack Grealish scored the last goal for England, while Iran scored the last goal of the match in extra time from the penalty spot. Final score 6-2, and no surprises for Southgate's faithful in this opening game.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands managed to win 2-0 against Senegal in Group A. The challenge was fairly balanced, as both teams had their chances to score, but the teams lacked the ability to finish the action. . The first goal of the challenge would come only in the 84th minute of the meeting, when Cody Gakpo managed to beat the Chelsea goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, giving the "tulips" the lead. Davy Klaassen, who entered the field as a substitute, scored the second goal for the Dutch, in extra time, thus sealing the final result 2-0. Louis van Gaal's men now top Group A along with Ecuador, level on points.
