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Bukayo Saka stars as England begin World Cup campaign with a bang
Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka scored a brace as England started their 2022 World Cup campaign with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Iran in Group B.
Expectations for the Three Lions were tempered heading into the tournament, but their performance at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday afternoon will undoubtedly see the excitement for Gareth Southgate’s side soar.
It was a pair of budding young superstars who ignited England’s campaign as Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a stooping header before Saka doubled their advantage with a sweetly struck volley in the first half.
https://twitter.com/TikiTakaConnor/status/1594722161209626624
Harry Kane expertly found Raheem Sterling for the third following some more good work from Bellingham in the middle of the park before England completed the rout in the second half.
Bukayo Saka stars as England begin World Cup campaign with a bang
What A Feeling 🤩 pic.twitter.com/uHJmdWlSF4
— Bukayo Saka (@BukayoSaka87) November 21, 2022
Saka netted the fourth after smartly delaying his strike before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish rounded off the scoring either side of a conciliatory Mehdi Taremi brace.
It was an excellent performance from Southgate’s Three Lions as Arsenal starboy Saka played a leading role. England were crisp in the build-up, incisive in the final third, and smart in defensive transition. Iran, who currently sit 20th in the FIFA world rankings, are far from incompetent but they were simply blown away in their group opener.
Saka’s brace saw him earn Man of the Match honours as he justified his selection over Phil Foden in Southgate’s starting XI which surprisingly included a back four.
Bukayo Saka (21 years, 77 days) is the youngest player to score 2+ goals in his first World Cup game since Franz Beckenbauer in 1966 (20 years, 304 days). 🤯 [Opta] #afc pic.twitter.com/7viR1kvxE0
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 21, 2022
Speaking after England’s win, Saka told the BBC: “I feel like I am in a good place. I have the support from the fans. I really feel the love from the fans, the staff, my teammates. That’s all I need. I feel good and I’m ready to give 100%. I’ll continue to do that every time I put the shirt on.”
The 21-year-old, described as “devastating” by BBC pundit Rio Ferdinand, has played a crucial role in Arsenal’s 2022/23 success so far and his two-goal showing may well be the start of a memorable tournament for both Saka and England as a whole.