England 6-2 Iran: Player ratings as the Three Lions begin their campaign with a thumping win | FIFA World Cup 2022
England kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign with an emphatic 6-2 win over Iran in their opening game of the tournament on Monday (21 November).
The game took a while to get going, mainly due to an injury to Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand that forced a lengthy stoppage. However, having dominated possession from the start, Gareth Southgate's men soon took the lead through a Jude Bellingham header in the 35th minute.
Bukayo Saka doubled their advantage in the 43rd minute before Raheem Sterling added a third in first-half injury time. The Three Lions did not show mercy in the second half either, as Saka grabbed a second just after the hour mark.
Mehdi Taremi pulled a goal back for Iran in the 65th minute, only for Marcus Rashford to score England’s fifth goal five minutes later.
Jack Grealish made it six for England in the 90th minute but there was still enough time for Taremi to score his second from the penalty spot deep into injury time.
An impressive #ENG display 👏
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On that note, here are the player ratings from a goal-heavy game at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford: 5/10
Having been largely untested for the majority of the game, Pickford would be disappointed to have conceded twice.
Kieran Trippier: 6/10
Trippier was typically industrious at right back for England, contributing both offensively and defensively.
John Stones: 7/10
Stones was calm and composed in defence, bringing the ball out from the back with confidence.
The Englishman completed the most passes (116) of anyone in the game with a 99% pass accuracy. However, he gave away a late penalty with an ill-conceived foul on Taremi.
Harry Maguire: 7/10
Maguire used his physicality to great effect in both boxes, claiming the assist for Saka’s first goal. He momentarily lost Taremi in the build-up to Iran’s goal and was forced off due to injury fairly soon after.
Harry Maguire's first half by numbers vs. Iran:
◉ 100% duels won
◉ 100% aerial duels won
◎ 8 long passes completed
◎ 6 passes into final ⅓
◎ 3 aerial duels
◎ 3 touches in opp. box
◎ 2 shots
Major Tournament legend.
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Luke Shaw: 6/10
He was a good attacking outlet down the left wing, getting forward regularly and delivering inviting crosses into the box, including the assist for the opener.
However, the Manchester United man was caught upfield on occasion, leaving his team vulnerable on the counter.
Jude Bellingham: 9/10
Bellingham delivered a sparkling performance on his World Cup debut, looking commanding in midfield. Given the license to be more attacking, he opened the scoring and was involved in the game throughout, completing 92 of his 95 passes while also winning all his tackles.
Jude Bellingham's game by numbers vs. Iran:
◉ 100% tackle success
◉ 100% take-ons completed
◉ 97% pass accuracy
◎ 95 passes
◎ 13 passes into final ⅓
◎ 9 x possession won (most)
◎ 7 duels won
◎ 3 tackles made
◎ 2 take-ons
◎ 1 goal
Incredible.
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Declan Rice: 6/10
Rice provided excellent defensive cover in front of the back four, making three interceptions and nine recoveries as his teammates ran riot at the other end.
Bukayo Saka: 9/10
Saka was a constant threat down England’s right flank and looked dangerous on the ball. He scored two extremely well-taken goals before going off in the 70th minute.
Never a bad time to score your first #FIFAWorldCup goal 🦁
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Mason Mount: 5/10
Mount struggled to get involved in England’s attacking play and was taken off in the 70th minute after a fairly anonymous outing.
Raheem Sterling: 8/10
Sterling’s clever runs and intuitive positioning saw him pop up in attacking positions throughout. The Chelsea forward bagged a goal and an assist before being replaced in the second half.
Harry Kane: 7/10
A goal was the only thing lacking from Kane’s selfless performance as he set up two goals before going off in the second half.
Substitutes:
Eric Dier (Maguire, 70’): 5/10
Dier replaced the injured Maguire for the final 20 minutes and slotted into central defence, helping his side see out a straightforward win.
Marcus Rashford (Saka, 70’): 7/10
It was a brilliant cameo from Rashford, who scored within seconds of coming on and looked extremely dangerous on the right flank.
49 - Marcus Rashford scored just 49 seconds after coming on for England, the third-quickest goal by a substitute in World Cup history. Impact. https://t.co/NIjqb6nHXW
Phil Foden (Mount, 70’): 5/10
Foden carried the ball forward with confidence and looked lively after coming on in the second half.
Jack Grealish (Sterling, 70’): 7/10
An excellent substitute appearance from Grealish, who bagged a goal and did not misplace a single pass during his time on the pitch.
Callum Wilson (Kane, 75’): 6/10
Wilson was full of running during his short stint on the pitch and timed his run perfectly as he broke forward to set Grealish up for the sixth goal.
Iran Player Ratings
Alireza Beiranvand: N.A.
An unfortunate injury sustained in a nasty clash of heads within the opening 10 minutes saw Beiranvand stretchered off the pitch shortly after.
Sadegh Moharrami: 4/10
Moharrami was given a tough time by Sterling, Shaw, and Mount, all of whom attacked down his flank repeatedly and to good effect.
Morteza Pouraliganj: 4/10
Like his fellow defenders, Pouraliganj struggled to deal with England’s relentless attacks and was booked for a foul on Kane early in the second half.
Roozbeh Cheshmi: 4/10
Cheshmi endured a few nervy moments in defence in the first half and was taken off during half time as a result.
Majid Hosseini: 4/10
Hosseini had no answer for England’s fluid attacking play and struggled to contain the Three Lions throughout the game.
Milad Mohammadi: 4/10
Troubled by Saka throughout his time on the pitch, Mohammadi was replaced just after the hour mark.
Alireza Jahanbaksh: 3/10
Having picked up a booking and missed Iran’s best chance of the first half, he was replaced at half time after a disappointing showing.
Ahmad Mourollahi: 4/10
Mourollahi was overrun in midfield and struggled going forward as well as while defending. He was replaced in the 77th minute.
Ali Karimi: 4/10
Karimi was part of a triple substitution made by Iran at half time as he failed to make an impact on the game.
Ehsan Haji Safi: 4/10
Ehsan Haji Safi was a willing runner up and down the left flank but failed to create much for his fellow attackers to make use of.
Mehdi Taremi: 7/10
The lone positive on a disappointing outing for Iran, Taremi bagged a second-half brace after being left isolated up top for the first half. His physicality and directness gave the English defence some trouble.
Substitutes:
Hossein Hosseini (Beiranvand, 20’): 3/10
Having come on early in the game in unfortunate circumstances, Iran’s substitute goalkeeper could do little about the six goals he saw fly into his net.
Ali Gholizadeh (Jahanbaksh, 46’): 5/10
Gholizadeh set up Iran’s goal with an excellent through-ball and looked promising after coming on at half time.
Saeid Ezatolahi (Karimi, 46’): 4/10
Ezatolahi was tidy in possession but failed to help create any chances of note for his side.
Hossein Kanaani (Cheshmi, 46’): 4/10
Kanaani slotted into the Iranian defence in the second half but was unable to improve his side’s defensive performance.
Mehdi Torabi (Mohammadi, 63’): 5/10
Torabi came on for the final half an hour and looked lively when in possession, but was unable to make an impact.
Sardar Azmoun (Nourollahi, 77’): 4/10
Making his return from injury, Azmoun spurned a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet during his short stint on the pitch.