In the marquee matchup of Group B of the World Cup, England opened their campaign with a 6-2 win while Iran suffered a crushing defeat. England showed great strength with young players Zudi Binningham and Bukayo Shaka energizing the team with their respective contributions.
Coach Shoafus boldly started Harry Magouni, who was relegated to the bench at Manchester United, with Rauki Sour and Jebbia on the wings, while the midfield relied on youngsters such as Bukayo Shaka, Mason Monte and Zoudi Bininham, who were looking for goals along with captain Harry Kani. The Iranian team launched protests both on and off the field, with some fans holding up signs in the stands in protest and some players failing to sing along during the playing of the national anthem.
At the beginning of the match, Iranian goalkeeper Biran Yunt collided with a teammate resulting in facial bleeding, and insisted on fighting after nearly five minutes of treatment, and was eventually replaced by Hosseini. It is worth noting that Queiroz called up four goalkeepers to play in the World Cup opener. Magouni was a threat several times in the game and came close with a header in the 32nd minute.
England quickly found a way to break through. Zudi Binningham scored with a header from Rauki Suhr's cross, then Bukajo Shaka extended the lead with a spectacular long-distance shot, and Staanen followed with several goals to give England a 3-0 lead in 10 minutes. In the second half, England slowed down the tempo, but Bukayo Shaka added another goal, and Iran's Tanimi broke the deadlock in the 65th minute to make the score 1-4. Rashford came on as a substitute and scored, while Kialisch also contributed a goal to make the score 6-1 in favor of England. In stoppage time, Tanimi scored a penalty, but England still won 6-2 and took all three points.
