The opening two days of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw results mostly in accordance with the standings of the teams. In the midst, England virtually toyed with Iran, beating them 6-2 on Day 2 of the championship.
On the opening day (November 20), Ecuador beat host nation Qatar 2-0. The South American nation opened their campaign in solid fashion at the Al Thumama stadium, Valencia scored twice and could have had a hattrick if not for one goal being disallowed due to an offside.
Ecuador also set a record, becoming the first team to beat the host nation in an opening World Cup match in the 92-year history of the tournament.
On Day 2, England began their campaign in style, taking a 3-0 lead by half time. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling put England ahead. Iran suffered a setback early, with their first choice goalkeeper having 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 extra 10th minute, a penalty was rewarded to Iran, to which Mehdi Taremi hit for the straight nets. This led the score to reach England 6, and Iran 2.
Later in the day the Netherlands edged Senegal 2-0 to set up a potential Group A decider against Ecuador at the Al Thumama stadium.
Goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen in the final five minutes ensured a comfortable winning margin against the African champions, who must now beat host nation Qatar in their next game to maintain hopes of quaking for the second round.
In the last match of Day 2 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.
Today Match : Argentina vs Saudi Arabia at 03:30 pm(IST)
Denmark vs Tunisia at 06:30pm(IST)
Mexico vs Polland at 09:30pm(IST)
