England Vs Iran: World Cup Group B - Not So Live Blog

1st min: Porto Striker Mehdi Taremi gets the game under way.

2nd min: England have started the stronger team in the opening minutes, Bellingham played a quick switch to Trippier who lifts a lovely ball that just misses Sterling’s head.

4th min: Maguire and stones both take a tumble in the box with Cheshmi having his arms around Maguire, but the ref and VAR say no penalty.

6th min: England once again on the attack, this time with Luke Shaw who plays a lovely cross which is cleared from Hosseini just infront of Saka. Rice tries his best to keep it alive, but Taremi clears up.

8th min: CHANCE!! Trippier takes a quick free-kick down the right-hand side towards kane who clips in a good cross into the six-yard box. Beiranvard gets his fingertips to the ball, but clashes into Hosseini, allowing Maguire to take a shot into the side netting. Unfortunately, the clash was a clash on Heads resulting in the Iranian goalkeeper getting subbed off for back-up keeper Hosseini. The clash of heads doesn’t look good for the Iranian first choice keeper, and he receives a standing ovation as his structured off the pitch.

27th min: Declan Rice plays a quick ball into mason Mount who’s found central of the pitch, which allows Mount to get his head up and find Saka on the right side of the 18-yard box. Saka looks up and sees a chance to shoot, bur his shot is easily claimed by Hosseini.

29th Min: A good link up by England, with short passing moving balls between a number of England players, starting with one two’s between Saka and Trippier, the ball is then found at Saka’s feet on the right hand side, he plays a scuffed ball into Kane but his shot goes into the side netting.

32nd Min: MASSIVE CHANCE! Trippier puts a great corner kick in from the right-hand side, who finds the head of Maguire perfectly, but his directed header smacks onto the bar, allowing Iran a chance of a counterattack, that doesn’t lead anywhere.

34th min: GOALLLLLL: It’s the 19-year-old Jude Bellingham!!!!! Maguire plays a ball central to mount, who sees Sterling in a crossing position, Sterling looks up and see’s the 19-year-old in space, he lifts the ball towards him and the man from Birmingham perfectly heads the ball into the top right corner of the net. 1-0 to the Three Lions.

England are now currently top of group B with three points and a +1 goal difference & Iran are bottom with 0 points and a -1 goal difference. The goal by Bellingham is the first for England and hopefully many more will come his way.

England currently have a whopping 80% possession currently in this world cup fixture against Iran, the opening goal from Bellingham was coming.

42nd Min: GOALLLLL!!! Luke Shaw plays a high cross towards Harry Maguire, who leaps over two Iranian players who where not happy as they felt Maguire made too much contact with the leap, but the ball falls to Saka, who perfectly volleys the ball into the far top right corner. 2-0 England and a +2 goal difference at the top of group B.

45th Min: ITS 3-0, Jude Bellingham dribbles through Iranian midfield and knocks the ball to lead talisman and goalscorer Harry Kane, who plays a no look cross into Raheem Sterling who's in the perfect position in the box to tap it home.

14+ Added minutes has been added to the first half of this game.

perfect position to side foot the ball into the back of the net in style. What a start to the world cup from the three lions.

Bellingham is playing exceptionally, winning all the balls back in the midfield and playing the box to box roll perfectly, what a talent England have on their hands.

England have so far had seven attempts at goal with four on target and Iran have had 0.

45th min + 10: CHANCE: Irans Hajsafi is found on the right side of the pitch and sees Jahanbakhsh in space, the fall-backs ball finds the Feyenoord winger, but his first-time volley goes over the bar.

It’s half time. After 14 mins of extra time due to a head injury to Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand, the Three Lions are 3-0 up at the half, after a wonderful glancing header from Jude Bellingham, a great but deflected volley from Arsenal’s Bakayo Saka and finally a delicate side footed volley from Sterling just outside the six-yard box, WHAT A FIRST HALF FROM THE ENGLAND BOYS.

SUBS: Saeid Ezatolahi for Ali Karimi, Ali Gholizadeh for Jahanbakhsh, Kanani for Cheshmi.

Second Half: It’s the second half, England with the kick-off.

45th min: Oops… Jordan Pickford takes a heavy touch and is almost undone by the Iranians, but luckily the miss control wasn’t pivotal to Iran getting one back.

After Bellinghams goal, he becomes the first player born in the 21st century to score in the world cup. What a stat for the 19-year-old.

50th min: Mason Mount stands over the free-kick, England are banging the drums, but Mount hits the ball into the well-constructed Iranian wall.

51st Min: Trippier is down holding his foot after one of the Iranian players steps on his boot, but his back up and ready to play again.

53rd Min: Saka runs down the right-hand side and finds a ball into Bellingham, who skips past Hajisafi, he makes his way into the 18-yard box and sees an opportunity to play a ball into the 6 yard, he finds no one and the Iranian defender plays it out for a corner. The corner leads to nowhere.

So far, the only team to be booked are Iran. They’ve received two yellow cards with Morteza Pouraliganji and Alireza Jahanbakhsh receiving the cards.

60th Min: An Ambitious shot by Saeid Ezatolahi, after Taremi tumbles.

61st min: ITS ANOTHER GOAL!! It’s Jude Bellingham in the midfield again, dribbling passed people with confidence, he sees Saka running into the 18-yard-box, he twists and turns, confusing half the Iranian defence and places it into the bottom corner with a slight deflection. 4-0

63rd Min: Iran Sub: Mehdi Torabi for Milad Mohammadi.

64th min: IRAN HAVE SCORED! Its 4-1. The ball is slid through to Porto goal-scorer, who first time hits the ball under the cross bar and Iran have one back. There still bottom of group B but with now a -3 goal difference.

70th Min: ENGLAND SUBS: Eric Dier for Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford for Bukayo Saka, Grealish for Sterling, Foden for Foden.

71st Min: HE’S ONLY BEEN ON THE PITCH FOR 5 SECONDS, ITS MARCUS RASHFORD! He skims Hosseini with a delectate first touch, and just gently places it into the bottom corner with complete ease, 5-1 and still loads of time to go.

What a first game for England so far, such control from the young England team, a quick change of four players and the team is still playing with top chemistry.

74th Min: SUBS FOR BOTH TEAM: Harry Kane for Callum Wilson, Sardar Azmoun for Nourollahi

The Iranian ex wonder boy and Bayer Leverkusen striker has come on, but maybe just a bit too late for the Iranians. Let’s see if the 27-year-old can do anything.

76th Min: Chance! Mehdi Taremi had another chance to score after a ball played over the top, but the Iranian Striker scuffed his half volley and England get away with the scare.

After Missing the important penalty back in the 2020 euros final, Saka has got a brace and is proving that he has a place in this England team for the future and present.

83rd Min: The subs are creating chances! Grealish spreads the play to the right-hand side after seeing Rashford in a decent amount of space, familiar to the goal he scored, he twists and turns, allowing himself some space to shoot, but his efforts are cleared up by the Iranian defence.

There was a big argument if Callum Wilson or Ivan Toney should make it to the world cup, loads of people where in shock that Ivan Toney didn’t make it, but after Toney’s betting breaches, it was clear he wasn’t going to Qatar. Despite this, since coming on Callum Wilson has done a good job since coming on, running up and down the pitch in the hot Qatari weather.

89th Min: ITS 6-1, just talking about Callum Wilson, he could’ve selfishly had a shot himself after being played in perfectly by Jude Bellingham, but he finds Man City’s 100million pound man, who slots it into the open net. The goal is celebrated in style by the Brummie star.

ADDED TIME: Another 10 mins has been added onto this game for the second half. This adds up to 24mins added time throughout the whole 90 mins.

93rd Min: Bellingham has been all over this game!! The Borussia Dortmund star has been absolutely world class this whole game. Playing from minute one he hasn’t put a foot wrong, in the final stages of the game he puts a wonderfully lofted ball into the box, but Hosseini watches the ball all the way.

It’s been 498 days since Bukayo Saka received bucket loads of racial abuse online for missing a penalty in the Euros final, but his turned this all around with the wonderful brace his scored in Englands opening game.

98th Min: WHAT A SAVE BY PICKFORD! Azmoun is played in from the right-hand side of the pitch, he thunders the ball towards the Everton man, but his quick reactions save another goal from going into the back of the net.

99th Min: POSSIBLE PENALTY: The Uruguayan Ref is looking at VAR for a possible shirt pull from Stones in the Iranian box, the ref is giving this a good look and his decision is a penalty!!!!

101st Min: Tahremi stands over the ball on the penalty spot in the dying minutes and GOALLLLL! He places the ball into the bottom right corner and it’s 6-2.

THE FINAL WHISTLE IS BLOW. It’s ended 6-2 England; the penalty goal was the last kick of the game and England have won their opening world cup game!!!!

An amazing opening game for the Three Lions in group B, a game people had doubts on after past friendlies before the start of the tournament, losing 4-0 to hungry, but after this 6-2 win and amazing performance, all the doubts have left. Second Half goals from Saka, Rashford and Grealish polished off the final score for England and have the perfect start in this world cup.