MY ACCOUNT
England fans took to social media to share their delight after their heroes cruised to a 6-2 win over Iran in their first World Cup game.
Jude Bellingham’s opener on 35 minutes opened the floodgates as Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 before half-time.
Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish all found the back of the net after the break, while Mehdi Taremi scored both of Iran’s goals, including a stoppage-time penalty.
Here is the best of the reaction.
Grealish’s promise kept
Manchester City star Grealish celebrated his tap-in with an unusual celebration as he kept a promise made to young fan Finlay.
In a viral video posted last month, the 27-year-old told Finlay, who suffers from cerebral palsy, that he would do it if he netted in Qatar.
Grealish, whose younger sister also suffers from the disease, was true to his word as he scored the sixth this afternoon and City were quick to point out why he reacted in that way.
Saka celebrates
Arsenal were quick to hail two-goal star Saka after a virtuoso performance on his World Cup debut.
And the man himself simply said “what a feeling” as he bathed in the glory of a brace on the biggest stage
Maguire speaks
Harry Maguire was a man under the microscope ahead of the game, yet responded with a typically classy display at centre-half.
Forced off after Taremi’s opener due to blurred vision, Maguire promised there is more to come from his team-mates.
Pundits loving life
Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker were in the BBC studio for the game but still found time to post their thoughts.
Lineker was thrilled to see two players with a combined age of 40 net the first two, while Ferdinand simply posted the first three goalscorers’ names at the break.
VAR controversy
England were denied a penalty early on when Maguire seemed to be hauled down in the box.
That frustration was compounded when Eric Dier was penalised via VAR for a shirt pull near the end, which allowed Iran to score their second.
