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Qatar World Cup 2022 Day 2: England face Iran in Group B opener
Day two of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw defiant Iran players opt not to sing the national anthem, before they were thrashed 6-2 by England.
7 min read
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England comfortably beat Iran 6-2 on the second day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Three Lions looked supreme in their Group B opener at the Khalifa International Stadium, breezing past an Iran team that had been expected to hold strong in defence.
Anticipation over protest was high before kick-off.
Viewers waited to see if Iranian fans or players would protest in solidarity with ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Iran, or if England captain Harry Kane would wear the One Love armband FIFA had banned just hours earlier.
Kane conformed to the armband ban, but the England team did take the knee just before kickoff. Iran’s players opted not to sing their national anthem.
Their Group B counterparts USA and Wales face off at 10pm Doha time (7pm GMT).
Monday's games follow a mixed opening night for tournament host nation Qatar.
After a spectacular opening ceremony, Qatar lost 2-0 Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match at the Al Bayt Stadium.
It made The Maroon the first host nation ever to have lost their opening match at the World Cup.
Two of Qatar’s Group A counterparts, Senegal and the Netherlands, battled it out at the Al Thumama Stadium on Tuesday evening, with the Dutch team winning 2-0.
6:05 PM
6:00 PM
Full-time: Netherlands 2-0 Senegal
Late goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaasen give the Netherlands a winning start to the tournament.
5:05 PM
Qatar 2022 World Cup 'meme galore' for football fans
Fans are coming together online to share comedic and heart-warming moments from the first few days of the World Cup.
See some of the memes, tweets and TikToks here.
4:50 PM
Half-time: Netherlands 0-0 Senegal
A goalless first half at the Al Thumama Stadium. Still a party though:
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4:15 PM
Israeli journalists in Qatar get silent treatment from World Cup fans
Israeli journalists in Qatar for the World Cup are being left hanging by fans from around the world who are boycotting the interviews in solidarity with Palestinians.
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Some Israeli staff have reportedly resorted to hiding their media accreditation before trying to interview fans at World Cup stadiums, to varying degrees of success.
More on this story here.
3:15 PM
England 6-2 Iran
After a questionable penalty call, Mehdi Taremi closes the game with his second goal of the night.
3:01 PM
England 6-1 Iran
Callum Wilson sets up Jack Grealish for England goal number six.
After 14 minutes of injury time for the first half, another 10 minutes have been added to the second.
2:44 PM
England 5-1 Iran
Marcus Rashford has only just gotten off the England bench and he’s scored. England have a four-goal lead at 71 minutes.
2:37 PM
England 4-1 Iran
Mehdi Taremi scores in the 65th minute to give Iranian fans something to cheer about.
2:33 PM
England 4-0 Iran
Bukayo Saka makes light work of Iran’s defence to score his second of the match in the 62nd minute.
2:05 PM
Half-time: England 3-0 Iran
A confident display from England has given them a comfortable lead at the end of the first half.
The two teams played a staggering 14 minutes of injury time, added after injured Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand steadfastly refused to come off the pitch. He was eventually taken off on a stretcher.
Jude Bellingham, who netted England’s first goal, is the second teenager ever to score for England at the World Cup.
1:48 PM
England 3-0 Iran
A minute into first-half stoppage time, Raheem Sterling makes it 3-0 with another volley.
1:43 PM
England 2-0 Iran
43 minutes in, a driving volley from Bukayo Saka doubles England’s lead.
1:38 PM
England 1-0 Iran
19-year-old Jude Bellingham guides the ball into the goal with a header for England in the 35th minute.
1:05 PM
England v Iran has kicked off at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
A very subdued response to the Iranian national anthem from players and fans alike. None of the players sang along.
Though England captain Harry Kane has conformed with FIFA's One Love armband ban, the England team did take the knee before kick-off.
12:40 PM
Iran defender says team should be 'voice' for Iranians amid protests
Iran defender Ehsan Hajsafi said Sunday that his team should act as a "voice" for Iranians amid protests in their home country.
Answering a question at a press conference, Hajsafi said the situation in Iran was "not good".
"Our people are not happy and everyone is hurting," he said.
"While we're here, there's no reason for us not to be their voice or honour them."
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The latest wave of protest in Iran began in September after 22-year-old Mahsa (Jina) Amini was fatally beaten in police custody.
Amini had been arrested for wearing her hijab 'improperly'.
The protests soon evolved to call for the fall of Iran’s government and rulers. Scores of people have died in the security forces’ brutal crackdown on the protests.
Some Iranian football players have been vocal in their support for the protest movement, and have even conducted on-pitch acts of protest.
12:00 PM
FIFA bans One Love armband at Qatar World Cup
Football’s governing body on Monday banned the "One Love" captain’s armband that several European teams were going to wear while competing at the World Cup.
The international football governing body has said that those who wear the armband - which was never officially sanctioned by FIFA - would run the risk of an on-field "sporting sanction".
The English and Welsh football associations have both since said that their teams will not be wearing the armband, which players wear as a show of support for LGBTQ+ rights.
However, it is not yet clear how individual players on the England and Wales teams, both of whom play in Group B matches on Monday, will react to the ban.
England captain Harry Kane had said Sunday that he would wear the armband for his team’s match against Iran despite the looming ban.
More on this story here.
England captain Harry Kane said Sunday he would wear the armband [Sportsfile via Getty]
11:40 AM
Iran coach says England has its best team since 1966 World Cup win
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz believes England have their strongest team since they won the World Cup in 1966, ahead of the showdown between the two teams this afternoon.
Queiroz said Gareth Southgate's side were serious contenders to reach the final in Qatar.
"The new generation that Gareth Southgate is bringing for the national team, in my opinion, is probably the most talented, most competitive English national team since 1966," he told a news conference on Sunday.
"This team, it is very, very functional, very practical, very realistic."
Iran are playing in their third successive World Cup and have qualified five times, without ever going beyond the group stage. England have contested 16 World Cups, but won the tournament just once.
11:20 AM
Nervous Qatar 'felt supported' despite fan exodus: coach
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said his team "felt supported" even though fans left early as the tournament hosts lost their match against Ecuador.
"I hope the people at the next game will be more proud. People know that we can give more.”
"The atmosphere was one of great expectation. We are sorry that we could not be part of the party, but we knew that this scenario could happen... We will try to learn."
"Our nerves betrayed us, we started really badly," said Sanchez. "We were unable to string together four passes in a row. Also many defensive gaps.
"The team was not balanced and that hurt us a lot. When you play against a team of this level... you pay for it."
Qatar next play Senegal in Group A on Friday.
Meanwhile, Ecuadorian assassin Enner Valencia has been declared fit to play for his team in their match against the Netherlands.
Valencia scored both of Ecuador’s goals, and had a third goal disallowed after a VAR check.
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