In the first match, England flew off the blocks in their first World Cup group match against Iran, taking a 3-0 lead at half time. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling put England on the front foot as Iran had a setback early on after their first choice goalkeeper had to be stretchered off after a collision with an England forward. In the second half, Saka completed his brace while Manchester boys Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish made instant impacts after coming off the bench as they added the last two nails in Iran’s coffin. .

In the second match, rising star Cody Gakpo saved Netherlands’ blushes as his lone goal around the 85th minute helped the Dutch scrape past a very game Senegal. With Senegal pushing deeper and deeper, De Jong had hold of the ball, unchallenged, at the edge of the final third before seeing Gakpo’s run before anyone else on the pitch, and playing in a brilliantly-weighted, curling, teasing cross which resulted in the headed goal. The match was well and beyond Senegal when Davy Klaassen put the ball past keeper Mendy right at the death. .

In the last match, Wales captain Gareth Bale converted a penalty in the 82nd minute as the Welsh Dragons walked away with a point against a buoyant USA side. Earlier, Timothy Weah rained on the Welsh party as his lone goal separated the side after the first half. A young and buoyant USA team outclassed and outran a ragged Wales side as Gareth Bale’s team struggled to get a foothold into the match. A smart pass by Christian Pulisic sent Weah on his way as he slid the ball past an advancing goalie to give his team something to cheer about. .

FIFA World Cup 2022 Highlights: Saka scores a brace against Iran while Bale converts late penalty to help Wales grab a point against USA