Kieran Trippier was chosen to start at right-back for England in their 2022 World Cup opener against Iran on Monday.It's no secret that the right-back position is particularly competitive on English shores, leading to Gareth Southgate having to juggle all manner of top-class players who call the position their own.However, his decision-making process was made a lot easier at Qatar 2022 due to the fact that Reece James was ruled out of the tournament through injury and Kyle Walker is still fighting his way back to fitness.
How did Trippier play vs Iran?
As such, it looked like a straight battle between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Trippier to inhabit the right defensive flank when the Three Lions made the trip to the Khalifa International Stadium.
But as much as many fans were imploring Southgate to play Liverpool's very own right-back, it was ultimately unsurprising to see that the England coach stuck with Trippier in the position.
The Newcastle United star is, after all, the right-back that Southgate favoured for the Euro 2020 final and there's no denying that he's enjoyed an impressive start to his first full season at St. James' Park.
In the end, it was a solid performance from Trippier who, according to SofaScore, won all of his ground and aerial duels as well as playing 73 passes and amassing a quite staggering 116 touches.
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What happened to Trippier vs Iran?
However, poor Trippier wasn't immune to an amusing moment that drew comparisons - albeit pretty tongue-in-cheek ones - to Alexander-Arnold during the second-half in Doha.
That's because the 32-year-old went viral on Twitter after falling for a fake cross to such a funny extent that he wasn't only sent to ground, but ended up laying on his back with his legs in the air, no doubt questioning what on earth had just happened.
The Iran player down the left flank feigned to fire the ball into the box and when Trippier raised his leg to block what he thought was the incoming cross, he went down like a sack of spuds.
It is, ultimately, just an amusing little moment from the game that could happen to anybody, but one that has nevertheless drawn a chuckle from thousands of fans across Twitter - check it out:
Video: Trippier fooled by Iran player's fake cross
Fan reaction
We've all been there, Kieran, we've all been there.
It doesn't matter whether you've played at the World Cup or simply down your local park, we've all suffered the embarrassing fate of believing in a fake shot or cross so much that you've hit the deck.
How many England caps has Kieran Trippier got?
After playing at his second World Cup by starting against Iran on Monday, Trippier moved to a total of 38 caps for the England men's senior team.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid man made his debut for the Three Lions in a friendly with France back in 2017 and has consistently been involved with the squad ever since.
Trippier's only goal for his country remains that unforgettable free-kick against Croatia in the opening few minutes of England's heartbreaking semi-final defeat at the 2018 World Cup.
Soccer Football - World Cup - Semi Final - Croatia v England - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - July 11, 2018 England's Kieran Trippier celebrates with team mates after scoring their first goal REUTERS/Grigory Dukor
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