Jude Bellingham reflected on “a really proud moment” as the teenager scored his first England goal in a dominant World Cup win over Iran.
Gareth Southgate’s side made the perfect start to their Group B campaign, hammering Iran 6-2 as they laid down a marker in emphatic fashion at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Bellingham got England up and running with the opening goal, becoming the Three Lions’ second youngest goalscorer in World Cup history, with a superb header into the top corner from a Luke Shaw cross.
The 19-year-old has been in impressive goalscoring form for Borussia Dortmund and was delighted he was able to take that onto the biggest stage.
“I thought [my goal] had missed,” Bellingham told BBC Sport. “It took ages to loop into the goal.
“It was a brilliant ball from Shaw. A really proud moment for me. We have to get ready for the next game. We’ll still be at the same level, trying to get two more wins, and get that mentality into hopefully the rest of the tournament.”
Bukayo Saka scored twice for England, while Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish also struck as the six-match winless run came to an end in style, putting that woeful Nations League campaign firmly in the past. Mehdi Taremi scored twice for Iran, the second coming from the penalty spot with the final kick of the match.
The dogged style associated with Iran is one that the Three Lions have often struggled to break down, so confidence will be high going into tougher tests against the USA and Wales.
“It’s a really good day for us,” Bellingham said. “Six goals in a World Cup game is really impressive, regardless of who you’re playing.
“They came out really well, hard to break down. We didn’t have anything clear for quite a while. But with more goals we opened them up. We had to dig it out. So it’s important we learn how to create chances against sides like that.
“But we’re a bit disappointed with the two goals [Iran scored] to be honest.”
