England v Iran, 21 November 2022

Kick-off: 4.00pm local (1.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: England 5, Iran 20 . This was the first-ever meeting between England and Iran. . This victory became England’s biggest-ever win in their opening game at a World Cup finals; previously 3-1 against France in 1982. . This became the Three Lions' biggest-ever win in an opening game at a major tournament and the second time they had scored six or more goals in a major tournament game; also 6-1 versus Panama at the 2018 World Cup. . England had now won two of their last nine games in the World Cup played outside of Europe. . The Three Lions avoided completing a run of seven games without a win for the first time since October 1958. . Aged 19 years and 145 days, Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to start a game in the World Cup finals for England since Luke Shaw against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte in 2014 (18 years and 347 days). He became their second-ever youngest goalscorer at a World Cup tournament after Michael Owen against Romania in Toulouse in 1998 (18 years and 190 days). . Raheem Sterling had now joined 1966 World Cup winner Martin Peters in having scored 20 goals for England. . This was the fourth time that England had scored three or more goals in the first-half of a game at the World Cup finals, and for the first time since their 6-1 win against Panama in Nizhny Novograd in June 2018. . Iran had now scored more than one goal in two of their 16 games at World Cup finals; also in their 2-1 win against USA in Lyon in June 1998. . This was only the second time that Iran had conceded six or more goals in a game; also 6-1 in an international friendly against Turkey in Istanbul in May 1950. . Iran remained without a win in their nine games against European opposition at World Cup finals (lost seven).