Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Alex Pattle

England vs Iran confirmed line-ups: Team news ahead of World Cup fixture today

The FA via Getty Images
Southgate confirms England players will take the knee before Iran WC opener

England thumped Iran 6-2 to kick off their World Cup 2022 campaign in style as they enjoyed the perfect start to Group B.

Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a powerful header before Bukayo Saka slammed home the second and Raheem Sterling added a third just before the break after good work from Bellingham and Harry Kane.

Saka got on the scoresheet again in the second half, before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish completed a Three Lions rout where the only slight negatives were Mehdi Taremi’s two consolation goals and Harry Maguire exiting with a head injury.

But Gareth Southgate won’t have many complaints as the Three Lions took a big step towards the World Cup knockout stages ahead of games against USA and Wales.

Relive all the action from Qatar with our live blog below:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.