England absolutely decimated Iran in their FIFA World Cup 2022 opener to get off to a flying start in the tournament. Bukayo Saka bagged a magnificent brace while the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jude Bellingham, and Jack Grealish scored a goal apiece to help power England to a thumping 6-2&nbsp;win at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Iran were a no match to England's attacking prowess and received a proper hammering as their defence failed to cope with the pace of Saka and Sterling in the first half. After Harry Maguire nearly gave England the lead with his powerful header hitting the cross-bar, Bellingham rose to the occasion to bag his first goal for the country in a World Cup.

The highly-rated midfielder timed his jump to perfection to latch on to a cross from Luke Shaw and beat the Iran keeper comfortably to put his side 1-0 up in the game. Saka scored his first eight minutes later to make it 2-0 before Sterling slotted one home on a cross from captain Harry Kane in the first-half stoppage time.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-iran-players-refuse-to-sing-national-anthem-ahead-of-england-clash-in-fifa-world-cup-2022-536160">WATCH: Iran players refuse to sing national anthem ahead of England clash in FIFA World Cup 2022</a>

The game saw a lengthy stoppage time of 14 minutes as Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a serious head injury and had to be stretchered off the ground. He suffered the injury during a collision with England defender Harry Maguire, who also took a blow to his head.

Saka grabbed his second of the night in the second half as he continued his fine form. The Arsenal youngster made a brilliant run in the Iran box after Sterling found him with a neat pass and slotted it into the bottom left corner to extend England's lead to 4-0 in the 62nd minute.

Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for Iran three minutes later and scored another consolation goal in the stoppage time before the full-time whistle in what was a disappointing night for his country. Substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish also managed to get on the scoresheet for England in the second half to hand Iran a proper hammering.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-wales-5-other-countries-to-ditch-onelove-armbands-in-world-cup-after-fifas-yellow-card-warning-536119">England, Wales &amp; 5 other countries to ditch 'OneLove' armbands in World Cup after FIFA's yellow card warning</a>

With the thumping 6-2 win, Gareth Southgate's England are off to a flyer in the Qatar World Cup and will be hoping to continue their fantastic run against the USA in their next clash in Group B. England are favourites to top their group which also consists of Wales, USA, and Iran.

"I can’t describe the feeling. It’s amazing, I’m so happy, I’m so proud, and we’ve got the win as well, so it’s a really special day! We needed a good start, we didn’t play the best coming into the tournament. But we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do," said Saka, England's two-goa hero against Iran.

"It’s amazing. We have to be consistent because we have the next game coming up in a few days and we have to come again."

England absolutely decimated Iran in their FIFA World Cup 2022 opener to get off to a flying start in the tournament. Bukayo Saka bagged a magnificent brace while the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jude Bellingham, and Jack Grealish scored a goal apiece to help power England to a thumping 6-2 win at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

England absolutely decimated Iran in their FIFA World Cup 2022 opener to get off to a flying start in the tournament. Bukayo Saka bagged a magnificent brace while the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jude Bellingham, and Jack Grealish scored a goal apiece to help power England to a thumping 6-2 win at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Iran were a no match to England's attacking prowess and received a proper hammering as their defence failed to cope with the pace of Saka and Sterling in the first half. After Harry Maguire nearly gave England the lead with his powerful header hitting the cross-bar, Bellingham rose to the occasion to bag his first goal for the country in a World Cup. The highly-rated midfielder timed his jump to perfection to latch on to a cross from Luke Shaw and beat the Iran keeper comfortably to put his side 1-0 up in the game. Saka scored his first eight minutes later to make it 2-0 before Sterling slotted one home on a cross from captain Harry Kane in the first-half stoppage time. Also Read: WATCH: Iran players refuse to sing national anthem ahead of England clash in FIFA World Cup 2022 The game saw a lengthy stoppage time of 14 minutes as Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a serious head injury and had to be stretchered off the ground. He suffered the injury during a collision with England defender Harry Maguire, who also took a blow to his head. Saka grabbed his second of the night in the second half as he continued his fine form. The Arsenal youngster made a brilliant run in the Iran box after Sterling found him with a neat pass and slotted it into the bottom left corner to extend England's lead to 4-0 in the 62nd minute. Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for Iran three minutes later and scored another consolation goal in the stoppage time before the full-time whistle in what was a disappointing night for his country. Substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish also managed to get on the scoresheet for England in the second half to hand Iran a proper hammering. Also Read: England, Wales & 5 other countries to ditch 'OneLove' armbands in World Cup after FIFA's yellow card warning With the thumping 6-2 win, Gareth Southgate's England are off to a flyer in the Qatar World Cup and will be hoping to continue their fantastic run against the USA in their next clash in Group B. England are favourites to top their group which also consists of Wales, USA, and Iran. "I can’t describe the feeling. It’s amazing, I’m so happy, I’m so proud, and we’ve got the win as well, so it’s a really special day! We needed a good start, we didn’t play the best coming into the tournament. But we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do," said Saka, England's two-goa hero against Iran. "It’s amazing. We have to be consistent because we have the next game coming up in a few days and we have to come again."

FIFA World Cup 2022: Saka, Bellingham star as England run riot against Iran with thumping 6-2 win

The players of the Iran national football team refused to sing their own national anthem ahead of their opening game against England in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday (November 21). The players' gesture was believed to be in solidarity with the protestors back home.

Protests have been ongoing in Iran over the last two months after the death of a young woman in the custody of the country's morality police. 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the police over an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's dress code for women. The young girl died three days after her arrest, sparking huge protests across the nation.

People came out on street protesting against Iran's clerical leaders while demanding a change in the country. Iran's national football team had also extended their support to the protests earlier this year when the players came out wearing black jackets to hide their national team's logos during a game against Senegal in September.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-wales-5-other-countries-to-ditch-onelove-armbands-in-world-cup-after-fifas-yellow-card-warning-536119">England, Wales &amp; 5 other countries to ditch 'OneLove' armbands in World Cup after FIFA's yellow card warning</a>

On Monday, Iran players remained silent as the national anthem was played ahead of their kick-off against England at the Khalifa International Stadium in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. While there has been no official word from any of the players or the team, the gesture is being seen as a show of support for the protestors back home.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Iran national team players choose not to sing national anthem at World Cup match; some of the Iranian crowed booing their own national anthem <a href="https://t.co/RYPvgHMNUi">pic.twitter.com/RYPvgHMNUi</a>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/unbelievable-cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-first-ever-to-clock-500m-followers-on-instagram-536105">UNBELIEVABLE! Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first-ever to clock 500m followers on Instagram</a>

Iran defender Ehsan Hajsafi had earlier said the players stand in solidarity with the protestsors in the country and that the team can be a voice for them in Qatar.

"They should know that we are with them. And we support them. And we sympathise with them regarding the conditions,"&nbsp;Hajsafi said in a press conference ahead of the England game.

"We have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy. We are here but it does not mean we should not be their voice or we should not respect them," he added.

The players of the Iran national football team refused to sing their own national anthem ahead of their opening game against England in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday (November 21).

The players of the Iran national football team refused to sing their own national anthem ahead of their opening game against England in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday (November 21). The players' gesture was believed to be in solidarity with the protestors back home. Protests have been ongoing in Iran over the last two months after the death of a young woman in the custody of the country's morality police. 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the police over an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's dress code for women. The young girl died three days after her arrest, sparking huge protests across the nation. People came out on street protesting against Iran's clerical leaders while demanding a change in the country. Iran's national football team had also extended their support to the protests earlier this year when the players came out wearing black jackets to hide their national team's logos during a game against Senegal in September. Also Read: England, Wales & 5 other countries to ditch 'OneLove' armbands in World Cup after FIFA's yellow card warning On Monday, Iran players remained silent as the national anthem was played ahead of their kick-off against England at the Khalifa International Stadium in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. While there has been no official word from any of the players or the team, the gesture is being seen as a show of support for the protestors back home. #BREAKING: Iran national team players choose not to sing national anthem at World Cup match; some of the Iranian crowed booing their own national anthem pic.twitter.com/RYPvgHMNUi — Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 21, 2022 × Also Read: UNBELIEVABLE! Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first-ever to clock 500m followers on Instagram Iran defender Ehsan Hajsafi had earlier said the players stand in solidarity with the protestsors in the country and that the team can be a voice for them in Qatar. "They should know that we are with them. And we support them. And we sympathise with them regarding the conditions," Hajsafi said in a press conference ahead of the England game. "We have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy. We are here but it does not mean we should not be their voice or we should not respect them," he added.

WATCH: Iran players refuse to sing national anthem ahead of England clash in FIFA World Cup 2022

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FIFA World Cup 2022: Saka, Bellingham star as England run riot against Iran with thumping 6-2 win

WATCH: Iran players refuse to sing national anthem ahead of England clash in FIFA World Cup 2022