The 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off on Sunday, November 20.
The Three Lions of England kicked off their campaign with an emphatic win where they mauled Iran by 6 goals to 2. Nigerian-born English playmaker, Bukayo Saka scored twice in the 8-goal thriller.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a header in the 35th minute, before Saka, 21, doubled England’s lead with a superb volley just eight minutes later.
ALSO READ: Ronaldo Will Not Demonstrate For LGBTQ+ Community At FIFA World Cup
Saka went on to score England’s fourth to grab a brace in the second half with a brilliant solo goal, beating most of the Iranian defence to slot home.
Goals from Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish helped to seal the game for England, while a goal and a penalty in the 13th minute of extra time from Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi made the final score 6-2.
ALSO READ: World Cup: Seven Footballers Of Nigerian Descent Who Will Feature For Another Nation In Qatar
Saka, 21, admitted that the team knew they needed a good first performance in Qatar after a difficult 2022 saw them finish bottom of their Nations League group.
He said:
We needed that good start. Obviously we weren’t at our best coming into the tournament and there was a lot of talk about our form.
But we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do.
It’s amazing. But we know we have to be consistent because the next game is coming up in a few days and we have to win again.
On a personal level, Saka was thrilled to mark his first World Cup game with a brace after missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout.
