England kicked off their 2022 World Cup campaign with a 6-2 demolition of Iran.
Gareth Southgate's men arrived in Qatar without a win in six games and having struggled for form in 2022. But they took Carlos Queiroz's side to pieces in Doha, with Arsenal whizkid Bukayo Saka and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham the Iranians' tormentors-in-chief.
England had opened the 2018 World Cup by scoring six times as they put Panama to the sword, but they were better here, playing with panache, dominating possession throughout and creating plenty of chances.
The record books will show that they had to wait until the 35th minute for their opener, with teenage sensation Bellingham heading home his first Three Lions goal. By half-time it was 3-0, Saka scoring his first and Raheem Sterling clinically volleying home a Harry Kane cross.
Saka made it 4-0 just after the hour mark after more fine virtuoso work, before Porto hitman Mehdi Taremi lashed in a consolation for Iran three minutes later.
Marcus Rashford, off the bench as a substitute, scored within a minute of his introduction, a cool finish after showing confident quick feet, before another substitute, Jack Grealish, wrapped up the England scoring in the 89th minute, tapping into an empty net after fine, selfless work from Callum Wilson.
Jordan Pickford made a fine injury-time save to deny Serdar Azmoun when clean through, before a harsh penalty, given against John Stones, allowed Taremi to notch his second consolation of the night.
Here are 7 talking points from England's fine win...
1. Bellingham shows the world
We’ve long known that he’s got the quality to impose himself on the world stage, but it is one thing to have it and another to prove it.
England haven’t had a midfielder like Jude Bellingham since Steven Gerrard, and there are those who will tell you that the Liverpool great’s Three Lions career was an underwhelming one given the heights he scaled with his club.
Bellingham, the player Liverpool covet above all others, has the world at his feet at both club and international level, and here he was showing us all just what he’s long been about for Borussia Dortmund.
The header to open the scoring was a combination of an immaculate run and impeccable timing, with everything else gloriously flowing afterwards. It was a stunning piece of football, and one that lit the blue touch paper on England’s World Cup at a time when they needed it against an obdurate Iran.
He then followed that up with a superb bit of play which led to freeing Harry Kane, whose excellent cross was thumped In by Raheem Sterling for the third goal.
Bellingham was breathtaking in the first half.
2. Saka choice pays off
When Southgate elected to go with a back four for this game, and combined with the fitness issue of Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, you could largely pick 10 of the 11 England starters. The final question regarded the right side of the attack and was a simple one or the other choice: Phil Foden or Bukayo Saka.
Six weeks or so ago, it was the Manchester City man who had appeared in possession of the shirt, starting the last international matches against Italy and Germany. But Foden failed to really impress in either of those matches, not bringing the balletic grace and style to proceedings which is so evident when he features for Pep Guardiola's side.
In the latter of those two matches, Saka was introduced as a substitute with the Three Lions 2-0 down and was outstanding, a driving force as they flipped the game on its head to lead 3-2, before ultimately drawing 3-3. That game perhaps was the final proof that the Arsenal star, red hot at club level this term and, lest we forget, England's player of the year in 2021 - when used in a multitude of positions - should start in the Khalifa International Stadium in his preferred position.
The 21-year-old didn't take long to prove his manager's choice correct. Whether hanging out on the touchline or drifting in between the lines, Iran struggled to deal with his movement and he continually allowed England to build attacks down the right, in tandem with Bellingham and Kieran Trippier.
When his chance came, he made no mistake, a fine strike - yes aided by a slight deflection - giving him his first World Cup goal.
His second, England's fourth, showed a player supremely confident and on top of his game right now; teasing a defender, backing him into the penalty area before shifting, stopping, shifting again and finding the net.
3. Maguire stands strong... but
When Harry Maguire and his England teammates took the pitch ahead of their pre-game warm up and surveyed the scenes, they would have been hard-pressed not to notice the signs in among the Iran fans that greeted the Manchester United defender.
His start to the season has not gone how he wanted at club level - Maguire himself will be the first to admit that - but he retains the faith of Southgate, who has made clear he is still first choice and one of his chief on-field lieutenants.
For some 65 minutes or so, England's all-Yorkshire defensive partnership - Maguire and John Stones - got off to a pretty much ideal start here. Defensively Maguire - who, four years ago, as a Leicester City player, was named in FIFA's team of the tournament - was solid enough and with the ball he did all that was asked of him, despite, to be fair, never really being put under a great deal of pressure.
But his last involvement, before being substituted with a head injury, saw Porto striker Mehdi Taremi run off the back of England's No.6 and blast into the roof of the net with an unerring finish.
4. England's ideal opening
Much is made whenever England reach a finals of the need to use the ball, to keep it, to dominate.
According to Opta, that's exactly what they did here, taking charge from the outset. The Three Lions completed a massive 366 passes in the first half, the second most by a team in the first half of a World Cup game since 1966, after Spain's 395 against Russia in 2018... a game La Roja would ultimately on penalties.
Against USA on Friday night, it may not be so easy, but more of the same would be most welcome.
5. Rashford's perfect three touches
Now this is the Marcus Rashford we all want to see!
He's had to fight his way back into the England squad, having not appeared for the national team since the final of Euro 2020. Injuries have played their part in that, but also the simple fact that, at times, Rashford hasn't looked like a young man enjoying his football all that much.
Now fully fit again, Erik ten Hag has been trying to draw that back out of him in Manchester and Rashford has responded in recent months, with the 25-year-old United's top scorer so far this season. On as a second half substitute for Saka, he didn't take long to make an impression... less than a minute in fact.
Found attacking space, he took one touch to control, one touch to chop inside his defender and a third to coolly slide home with his left foot, making it 5-1 and giving him his first international goal at a major finals.
It was a dream start and just perfect for Southgate, who has spoken of needing to use the entire depth available within this squad if England are to have a chance at glory. Having a happy, confident Rashford able to step from the bench and make an impact could be huge as the tournament progresses.
6. "Out of order" on-field failure
First came the pre-match farce of the armband. Then came the in-game shambles of the failure to adhere to protocols with regards head injuries.
Alireza Beiranvand should not have been allowed to continue play following a collision with one of his own defenders in the game's early offings that left him bleeding from the nose and mouth, while not really appearing to know what had happened. After minutes of treatment, and despite clearly looking groggy, the Iranian medical staff allowed the 30-year-old ‘keeper to, how shall we say, ‘Give it a go’ and stay on the field. But a bit of tissue up his nose and a new shirt was never going to be enough.
It was clear, watching him stand, watching him engage with officials and teammates that he should have been taken off - no matter how much he wanted to continue. The referee, Raphael Claus, from Brazil, should have made the decision himself rather than standing back. FIFA’s on-duty doctor should have been on hand to force the issue.
Jermaine Jenas, summarising for BBC Sport, said: “We’re at a major tournament in 2022 when we’re constantly talking about concussion in the game, the long term effects it’s had on players with dementia and stuff. And things like this are happening, still. It’s out of order.”
It was another sign that, where head injuries are concerned, football still has a long, long way to go. FIFA need to sort it out very quickly.
7. Queue more problems
As media here we are insulated from many of the problems fans have been talking about at this World Cup. We’re not staying in shipping containers, we’re not being denied water and we’re not having issues getting in.
Everyone is, in fact, very lovely to you if you’ve got your media accreditation showing. But we still need to report what is going on. And if the issues fans faced before this match are anything to go by, FIFA have got yet another mess to clear up at this most unusual of World Cups.
Arriving about an hour and a half before the game, the queues were already building up then, although they were all good natured and full of excited fans.
As well as the turnstiles there was a steady queue building at the ticket office too, presumably full of those who had seen their tickets disappear from their app before the game. Again, none of this was very frenzied and Iran fans continued to dance around and enjoy themselves outside.
The issues seemed to continue after that though, and upon arrival in my seat about 25 minutes before kick-off there were several empty seats visible on the top tier of the far side.
It is clear that many fans missed the start of the game, and that just isn’t good enough given the expense it takes to get here. This World Cup is lurching from one controversy to another.
