After each matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily blog will recap the day’s events and look ahead to the next day’s slate of games.
Here’s what happened on Monday, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
England 6, Iran 2 in Al Rayyan: Match report || Match stats
Senegal 0, Netherlands 2 in Doha: Match report || Match stats
United States 1, Wales 1 in Al Rayyan: Match report || Match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
England’s young lions roar
England registered its biggest-ever victory in its opening match at the World Cup and scored six goals at the tournament for only the second time in its history after pummeling Iran in Group B action. The Three Lions dominated all facets of the match against the Iranians, who should feel fortunate that the damage wasn’t far worse.
Most of the attention ahead of this game focused on veteran forward Harry Kane, who is just two goals away from reaching 53 and eclipsing Wayne Rooney as the team’s all-time top scorer. The Tottenham star put in a solid shift against Iran by tallying two assists before being subbed off in the 75th minute.
But it was England’s young lions who roared the loudest against Iran. Jude Bellingham, 19, scored his first international goal to become England’s second youngest scorer at the World Cup (behind an 18-year-old Michael Owen in 1998), while Bukayo Saka, 21, bagged a brace. It marked the first time that England had two players aged 21 or younger score in a single World Cup game in its history.
Bellingham and Saka are symbols of an exciting, young English team that plays with a sense of fearlessness, that relentlessly attacks and whose pass-oriented playing style forces opponents to chase them. If this six-goal destruction job is evidence of what to expect from England, then the rest of the field at the tournament should be leery.
Patience pays off for the Netherlands
Senegalese striker Sadio Mané was ruled out of the World Cup due to a leg injury, while Netherlands forward Memphis Depay sat on the bench for 62 minutes of this Group A contest before being subbed on as he was still dealing with a lingering issue.
It’s no wonder then that this game produced few quality scoring chances, with both defences holding tight and not giving away anything. But the patience of the Dutch was rewarded in the 84th minute when Cody Gakpo connected on a glancing header that nestled into the back of the net after Franke de Jong delivered a sumptuous cross deep into the box. Incredibly, it was the Netherlands’ first shot on target.
Davy Klaassen’s goal deep into injury time was somewhat harsh on the African champions considering there wasn’t much between the two nations. But fortune often favours the brave in decisive moments in tight games like this, and the Dutch made the most of their limited opportunities to run out the winners.
United States can’t finish off Wales
Canadian fans think they’ve had it bad having not seen their men’s team at the World Cup since 1986? Spare a thought for supporters of Wales, who’ve had to wait 64 years for their men’s national team to return to the World Cup.
The Welsh made up for lost time on Monday, coming from behind to earn a well-deserved draw against the United States in Group B. Gareth Bale converted from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute to help his country earn a share of the points, capping off a brilliant second half in which the Welsh dominated proceedings.
The U.S. busted out of the gate and pinned Wales inside its half thanks to some long stretches of possession, while also looking dangerous in moments of transition. The breakthrough came when Timothy Weah latched onto a through ball that carved open the Welsh defence, went on a clear breakaway and kept his cool as he slotted his shot past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in the 36th minute. But that was the last shot on target by Americans, who could only repel the surging Welsh in the second half for so long before Bale’s equalizer.
GOAL OF THE DAY
England forced a turnover after pressing Iran and then put together a brilliant attacking sequence that ended with Jude Bellingham out-jumping two defenders deep inside the box to score off a gorgeous header following a brilliant cross delivered by Luke Shaw.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Players on the Iranian team mournfully refused to sing the national anthem prior to its game against England in protest over the recent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s ruling regime’s “morality police” for an alleged breach of their Islamic dress code, her death representative of the oppression of women’s rights in the country.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“My friends and my family put their arms around me along with my teammates and the nation supported me to help me get back to a good place. I feel that love from everyone around me.” – England’s Bukayo Saka, who is Black, referencing the racial abuse he suffered after failing to convert in a penalty shootout in last year’s Euro final loss to Italy.
SIX PACK OF STATS
• England and Iran combined to score the most goals in a World Cup game since Germany hammered Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals of the 2014 tournament
• There were 35 passes leading up to England’s sixth goal scored by Jack Grealish, the most passes in the buildup to a World Cup goal on record since 1966.
• Davy Klaassen’s goal at 98:17 is the second latest World Cup goal on record since 1966 (excluding extra time), after Mehdi Taremi’s goal for Iran at 102:30 vs. England on Monday.
• Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert is only the second Netherlands player to make his international debut at a World Cup.
• The United States hasn’t kept a clean sheet in any of its last 18 World Cup matches against European opposition since earning a 1-0 win over England in 1950.
• Five of U.S.’s starters on Monday play professionally in the English Premier League, the most from a single non-American league in a World Cup match in the national team’s history.
Stats courtesy of Opta
SPORTSNET IN QATAR
Sportsnet.ca contributor Peter Galindo is in Qatar covering the World Cup. He was at the Netherlands-Senegal game today and picked up on how effective FC Barcelona’s Frankie de Jong was in the midfield for the Dutch.
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1) Bukayo Saka, England: The 21-year-old bagged a brace and proved to be a real attacking menace down the right side for an English team that absolutely toyed with the Iranians.
2) Frenkie de Jong, Netherlands: The FC Barcelona star was truly sublime in pulling the midfield strings for the Dutch. Set up Cody Gakpo’s winner with a great delivery into the box.
3) Timothy Weah, United States: The American forward did something his legendary father George Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner, never did during his career: play a game and score at the World Cup.
LOOKING AHEAD
The World Cup ramps up on Day 3 with four games, including reigning champions France making its tournament debut in a Group D contest vs. Australia (2:00 p.m. ET).
But the highlight of the day will be Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia (5:00 a.m. ET) in Group C, as Lionel Messi will make his first appearance in Qatar. The Argentine ace has said he plans to retire from international soccer after this tournament, so this is his last chance to win the World Cup.
It’ll be interesting to see how he comes out of the gates, and whether he’ll guide the heavily favoured South Americans to a convincing win over the Saudis.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
