OPENING BELL
Jude Bellingham hinted he’d score first England goal in World Cup opener vs Iran – but did you notice it?
JUDE BELLINGHAM cheekily claimed that he had been “saving” his first England goal for the World Cup.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was named in the starting XI as the Three Lions kicked-off Group B against Iran.
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And the 19-year-old star was celebrating after just 35 minutes when he broke the deadlock with his maiden strike for his country in the 6-2 victory.
England had started brightly after a long delay following a brutal head injury to Iran’s goalie.
They were raging early doors when Harry Maguire was denied a stonewall penalty after being pulled down in the box.
But it was Bellingham who finally got the ball in the net as he superbly headed home Luke Shaw’s cross.
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Before the game he had sat down with BBC, and during the interview which aired just before kick-off he was asked about his lack of goals for England.
And he confidently replied: “Maybe I’m saving it?
“I’m only joking, I’ve been trying I promise.
“I’ve got into some good positions in the last few games.
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“I think it’s about making the box, getting in the right positions and staying calm in the right positions.”
And after the game Bellingham told BBC: “I told you I was saving it! It was a really good day for us, six goals in a World Cup game is really impressive regardless of who you play against.
“I thought it had missed to be honest! It took ages to loop into the goal.
“I told you last year I wanted to score more goals for Dortmund and England. It’s a brilliant ball from Shawy and I get into the position and flick it away - a really proud moment for me.
“I think they came out really well, really strong, hard to break down. We didn’t have anything clear for quite a while.
“With more goals we opened them up. The start was tough but we had to dig it out when we were not getting it all our way, it's important that we learn how to create chances against those types of sides.”
England continued their superb start by adding to their advantage.
Bukayo Saka rifled home from Maguire’s knockdown on 43 minutes.
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And then Raheem Sterling turned home Harry Kane’s cross to make it three before the break.
England eventually went on to win the game 6-2 with Saka bagging another and substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish also on target.
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