Jack Grealish kept his promise with a touching celebration as he scored England's sixth and final goal in their group stage thrashing of Iran.The Three Lions burst into life with a superb first-half at the Khalifa International Stadium, remaining patient with their build-up play as Iran inevitably sat back, before delivering the killer blow ahead of half-time.After the Euro 2020 finalists had already had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down and Harry Maguire hit the crossbar with a bullet header, Jude Bellingham eventually broke the deadlock and duly opened the floodgates.
Who scored for England vs Iran?
A fabulous header from Luke Shaw's cross saw the Borussia Dortmund starlet become just the second male teenager to score for England at a World Cup along with Michael Owen.
And with that, England quickly grew in confidence, turning the screw on Carlos Queiroz's men to not only double their money before the interval, but triple it for good measure.
Read more: Qatar World Cup: England run riot vs Iran in first half
Bukayo Saka crowned a stunning first-half defined by kinetic movement and sharp interplay by lashing a fine left-footed volley past Hossein Hosseini, who had come on to replace Alireza Beiranvand after a head injury.
Then, just to put the icing on the cake of a whirlwind climax to the opening 45 minutes, Raheem Sterling picked up from where he left off at Euro 2020 by converting Harry Kane's pinpoint cross.
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - England v Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 21, 2022 England's Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring their third goal with Harry Kane REUTERS/Marko Djurica
However, unlike the scenes we'd witnessed in the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador, the first-half flurry didn't simply lead to a sleepy second-half.
Rather, Saka ensured that Iran were given little to no respite as he fired England into a 4-0 lead, showing remarkable composure in the penalty area before slotting a fine finish into the bottom corner.
Who scored for Iran vs England?
But Gareth Southgate's men couldn't afford to be complacent because Iran gave them a reality check just minutes later with a sensational pass from Ali Gholizadeh cutting through Maguire and John Stones in the blink of an eye.
The result was a consolation strike for the Iranians with Mehdi Taremi gobbling up the chance, thrashing a ruthless strike past Jordan Pickford that cannoned into the net via the crossbar.
How good was Rashford's goal vs Iran?
But Iran's joy was short-lived as it was one of England's substitutes, Rashford, that not only resumed the goalscoring for the Three Lions, but did so with arguably the finest strike of the game.
That's because the Manchester United star marked his first international appearance since the Euro 2020 final by wasting no time at all in making an immediate impact.
With Kane once again pulling the creative strings with a fine first touch and pass into Rashford's path, the 25-year-old had ice running through his veins as he strode into the penalty area.
And just when it looked as though he was going to unleash a right-footed shot on goal, Rashford instead showed superb composure to cut in on his weaker left foot and send Iran's Majid Hosseini to the shops in the process.
The end result? Well, an inch-perfect, slotted finish past the last ditch efforts of Morteza Pouraliganji to mark Rashford's first ever goal at a major international tournament - check it out:
Video: Rashford shows icy composure to score vs Iran
What was the reason behind Grealish's celebration?
And then, just to make things even better for England, they briefly matched the record for their biggest ever win at the World Cup - though a late penalty by Taremi ultimately scuppered this - as they went 6-1 up and matched the scoreline they registered against Panama in 2018.
The goalscorer? Jack Grealish, tapping into an empty net after some unselfish play by Callum Wilson, but the most note-worthy detail was undoubtedly his eye-catching celebration.
If it looked slightly different compared to how Grealish usually celebrates, that's because there was an incredibly special and touching reason behind it as the Manchester City star kept his promise to a young supporter.
Videos: Grealish keeps his promise with England celebration
Finlay, 11, is Grealish's biggest fan and got the opportunity to meet his hero in November, leading to a truly heartwarming video where the England star agreed to dedicate his next goal to the youngster.
The meeting had taken place after Finlay had sent Grealish a lovely letter expressing his gratitude for how the City midfielder treats people with disabilities just as he does everybody else.
Finlay, just like Grealish's sister, Holly, has cerebral palsy.
And it could hardly have been more moving to see Grealish not only keeping his promise to Finlay, but doing so on the biggest stage of all as England crowned one of their greatest ever World Cup victories.
It was a beautiful reminder that football is more than just a sport and it's truly wonderful to see how Grealish has helped to inspire disabled individuals who share a passion for the beautiful game.
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - England v Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 21, 2022 England's Jack Grealish celebrates scoring their sixth goal with Phil Foden REUTERS/Lee Smith
When do England play next?
The Three Lions will continue their 2022 World Cup campaign on Friday November 25 at 19:00 (GMT) when they face the United States of America at the Al Bayt Stadium.
England will then round off their Group B campaign with an all-British clash against Wales on Tuesday November 29 at 19:00 (GMT) in the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
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