Nigeria’s Bukayo Saka was the star attraction as England got three points in their first Group B match with a dominant 6-2 victory over Iran at Khalifa International Stadium yesterday.

Yesterday’s five goal scorers for England, including a brace from the Arsenal forward who was born in London to Yoruba parents Adenike and Yomi Saka , contributed to the barrage as the team tied the Three Lions’ record for goals in a World Cup match, a record they set in group play at the 2018 tournament.

The game got off to a slow start after Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collided with center back Majid Hosseini in the eighth minute. Beiranvand was checked by Iran’s medical team, remained in the game for a brief period and was then removed from the match.

Jude Bellingham, the youngest player on England’s World Cup roster at 19 years old, got the scoring barrage started with a header in the 35th minute.

Bukayo Saka added a second goal in the 43rd minute. A corner kick entered the box and went to Harry Maguire, who headed it in Saka’s direction. The 21-year-old then found the back of the net with a left-footed strike.

England wasn’t done in the first half. Raheem Sterling gave England a 3-0 lead when he knocked in a cross from Harry Kane.

Saka added another goal in the 62nd minute. He again got to his left foot as he evaded Iran’s defense and ripped a shot past backup goaltender Hossein Hosseini.

Iran took away Jordan Pickford’s chances at a clean sheet with a goal in the 65th minute. The team manoeuvred the ball into the box and Mehdi Taremi blasted it into the back of the net.

It wasn’t long before England built its lead back to four. Marcus Rashford entered the game in the 71st minute and immediately scored with a left-footed shot.

Jack Grealish put a bow on England’s clinic with a goal in the 90th minute.

Iran got one last goal before the final whistle as Taremi got a penalty kick past Pickford in the 103rd minute.

Germany go into their World Cup Group E opener against Japan tomorrow knowing that this one game could potentially make or break their tournament hopes.

With 2010 world champions Spain awaiting next, the Germans cannot afford any slip-up against the Japanese and risk a potential early exit again.

The four-time champions have arrived in Qatar a new team since their 2018 World Cup first round shock elimination. They have since changed their coach, a number of players and even dropped their official monicker ‘Die Mannschaft’.

Those four years since the Russian debacle – their earliest World Cup exit in more than 80 years – have been far from successful, with the Germans relegated from the Nations League in 2018 before rule changes kept them alive in the competition, and then crashing out of the Euro at the Round of 16 last year.

With new coach Hansi Flick, who won six titles with Bayern in 2021 before taking over just over a year ago, the Germans are hoping they now have what it takes to again make a deep run in the tournament.

“We have to be prepared for a tough battle against Japan,” said team director Oliver Bierhoff this week. “We have to be focused from the very first minute. Then everything is possible with the team.”

What Flick has yet to decide is whether he will deploy one of his centre forwards, the strong and tall Niclas Fuellkrug, against the Japanese or go with the option of moving a winger such as Kai Havertz into the nine position.

Despite winning nine of their 10 qualifiers Germany have been unconvincing in attack in recent months and calls for the use of a natural target man have grown considerably louder.

The Japanese know more about Germany’s game than most other teams in the tournament with no fewer than eight German-based players in their squad.

Japan veteran Yuto Nagatomo said those eight, who include Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt Daichi Kamada, were constantly feeding teammates information on their opponents.

“You don’t even have to ask – in the canteen or on the bus, you’re getting information from everywhere,” said Nagatomo.

Japan will no doubt have also seen Germany’s weakness in defence and their vulnerability against quick counter-attacks.

An upset in the first match against the Germans could go a long way in getting them past the group stage, just like they had done in 2018 when they narrowly lost to Belgium in the Round of 16.

Denmark will be spurred on by the presence of their “heartbeat” Christian Eriksen when they play their opening World Cup match against Tunisia today.

The Manchester United midfielder is set to take his place in the Denmark side 17 months after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during the European Championship.

Denmark captain Simon Kjaer, whose quick reactions last June helped save Eriksen’s life, told a pre-match press conference: “I think Christian with his qualities says everything.

“We are all happy and thankful after what happened but as a football player, he’s probably one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of quality, love for the game and just hanging around with the boys.

“He appreciated it may be more than us. We love having Christian by our side and every minute he plays, it’s only a plus for Denmark.”

Manager Kasper Hjulmand added: “Before the Euros before everything happened with Christian, I said he was the heart and the heartbeat of the team.

“When he plays he has a fantastic way of taking a decision about the rhythm of the game, feeling the game and controlling the game with his passing, with his intelligence, with his vision and also his work ethic.

“It’s great to have Christian back and also the person. He’s a fantastic player but he’s an even better person.”

Denmark are ranked 10^th  in the world to Tunisia’s 30^th , with the African nation having only managed two victories in their five previous World Cup appearances.

Hjulmand said: “I have respect for Tunisian football. I know how passionate it is and how big football is in Tunisia. We know the players very well, we’ve followed their campaign and the big emotions and also the quality they have.

“We know they will be superior off the pitch in the stands, there will be a lot of Tunisian spectators, and we hope we can show we are the better team on the pitch.”

Didier Deschamps has asked for “more understanding” as France adjust to their latest injuries, but Les Bleus intend to go “full steam ahead” with the same objectives as before.

France were already without Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante for the World Cup and have now lost Christopher Nkunku and Karim Benzema on the eve of the tournament.

Deschamps’ defending world champions head into their opener against Australia with uncertainty around much of their line-up, although the coach has “no worries at all” about Eduardo Camavinga’s fitness and confirmed Raphael Varane is fit to start.

Asked yesterday if France would have to reconsider their approach to the finals, Deschamps disagreed, although he asked the assembled media for their support.

“It is full steam ahead with the team we have available to us,” he said.

“Less ambition and less desire to do everything to get to the end? I don’t think so. But if we could have more understanding from the media, if you could cut us a little more slack, that would be great.

“But we know what is asked of us. We are not counting our chickens before they are hatched, we know our three opponents ahead of us.

“We know Australia very well, but you haven’t asked me anything about Australia. That’s perfect.”

Despite their difficulties, Deschamps said France have “no apprehension” and “no anxiety”, even with the past three World Cup holders exiting in the first round.

“This is based on statistics, probability, facts, but I think each team has undergone their own journey to get where they are today,” he said.”It is up to us to have a squad that is aware of the objective of the first game. We’re not going to think about what could have been.

“What is important is to focus on the first game against Australia. Everything before is on the sideline now.

“There is an analysis that can be made, do with them what you will, but we will be ready for tomorrow.”