Gareth Southgate acknowledged he was “a bit fed up” with the ending of England’s first World Cup encounter, despite his team winning comfortably 6-2 over Iran.
The Three Lions kicked off Qatar 2022 in style, with a brace from Bukayo Saka and goals from Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, and Jack Grealish.
Despite matching their highest single-match haul in a World Cup game, established four years ago in a 6-1 win against Panama in Russia 2018, their manager was irritated by their double concession.
Mehdi Taremi’s double, the second of which came from a contentious VAR penalty, deprived England a record winning margin, and Southgate said it tainted his team otherwise outstanding performance.
Gareth Southgate’s reaction
“I’m a bit fed up with the end of it, really,” he told BBC Sport. “To win by that margin, to play as we did for the majority of the game, you’ve got to be really happy.
“They dealt with the game really well. It was a sticky first half with lots of stops, but we were a real threat throughout. Our movement was really good.
“But we shouldn’t be conceding two goals [at] that stage of the game. We’ll have to be right on our game against the United States, it was a great start, but we will have to do better.
“It’s a consequence of the scoreline a bit. We just lost concentration and when we play at a slower tempo, we’re nowhere near as effective.”
Southgate’s victory moves him above Alf Ramsey’s record of eight major tournament victories, while Bellingham and Saka’s goals marked the first time in England history that two players under the age of 21 scored in the same World Cup game.
With five different goal scorers in total, the Three Lions manager was pleased with their participation, adding: “We’ve got some good players, and today they really delivered. It’s a great marker to put down.”
Southgate acknowledged Callum Wilson’s assist for Grealish’s sixth goal of the game, while warning that he must keep his team anchored to the ground ahead of more stern tests.
“Wilson was on,” he added. “He could have been selfish but he was thinking of the team even at that moment. I should be more excited, but I’ve got to keep the team on the right track, where we have to be better.”
