If winning Group B at the World Cup comes down to goal difference, England already has it in the bag after its extremely impressive 6-2 opening victory over an Iran side in disharmony.
Kick-off at Khalifa International Stadium was scheduled for 1 p.m. in the UK, but obviously that didn't stop England supporters from getting rowdy as hell on a Monday afternoon.
Inglaterra no dejó espacio para las sorpresas. El equipo dirigido por Gareth Southgate inició su aventura en la Copa del Mundo demoliendo a Irán 6-2 y mostrando sus credenciales como candidato al título.
Los Tres Leones – con una escuadra tasada en 1.300 millones de dólares – dominaron de principio a fin, estableciendo una posesión del balón del 70 por ciento y completando 733 pases, años luz de los escuálidos 156 que Irán logró hilvanar.
The buzz of excitement in the streets of Doha was palpable. The tournament was to kick off between Ecuador and host nation Qatar at 7 p.m. local time. Supporters and travelers who don’t have tickets to the World Cup matches are invited to witness the games throughout the tournament in an epic atmosphere at the Al Bidda Park FIFA Fan Festival.
Tame would be an understatement when discussing the "One Love" campaign. A message that hopes to unite everyone, "One Love" promotes diversity of thought and acceptance, especially with regard to sexual orientation. Regardless, FIFA felt the need to threaten players with “sporting sanctions” if they were to make a statement on the world stage. While many European nations opted to abandon their message of inclusion, Alex Scott remained undeterred.
FIFA’s concussion protocol is still Medieval and that was on full display during the first half of England’s opener vs. Iran on Monday. Iran’s goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, had a nasty clash of heads with teammate Majid Hosseini in the eighth minute.
Here was the incident that took place.
England is already knocking pic.twitter.com/Y9t5lfHMi6
DOHA - Players of Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem at their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.
The players were silent as the anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Iranian fans gathered in the stands shouted as the music was played. Some were seen making thumbs-down gestures.
Enner Valencia shone in Ecuador's 2-0 victory over Qatar. The striker scored a brace and could have been celebrating a hat trick if VAR hadn't disallowed a header in the game's third minute.
AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.
The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.
Catar soñaba con un triunfo en la inauguración de SU Mundial. Ecuador, sin embargo, no quiso ser el pastel de la fiesta y le clavó una dolorosa derrota 2-0.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway with Ecuador handling the supremely limited host nation Qatar 2-0 without surrendering a shot on target. It was a pathetic display from Qatar, but their tournament will thankfully be over quickly Friday after Senegal once again hands them a deserved beating.
So what did we learn from Sunday's curtain raiser besides the fact that Morgan Freeman has added a couple million to his bank account?