Gary Lineker was forced to apologise to BBC iPlayer viewers after the platform experienced issues during England's win over Iran.
The Three Lions began their campaign on Monday and cruised to a comfortable win. They were 3-0 up by the break thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling - but those who were watching on the iPlayer experienced issues as soon as the game kicked off.
Viewers were met with a "Sorry, it looks like something's not working right now" message with Lineker addressing the issue at the interval. The TV anchor said: “Just a quick pointer, apologies if you’ve had any BBC iPlayer issues during that first half. We’re working to fix them.”
The BBC said in a statement: "We’re aware of an issue affecting some users on BBC iPlayer. We’re trying to fix this as soon as possible." There were over 10,000 issues logged on outage tracking website Down Detector. Of those who reported problems, 40 per cent said they were having issues with video streaming, 39 per cent with server connection, and 22 per cent with the app.
England managed to cruise to victory, scoring a further three goals in the second-half. Saka added a second - England's fourth - with Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish also getting in on the act. Rashford needed just a matter of seconds and a few touches to score his goal.
Grealish, who appeared from the bench, slotted into an empty net from just yards out after Callum Wilson's initial run and pass. Saka's brace means he became the youngest player to score twice for the Three Lions at a World Cup.
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He told the BBC afterwards: "I can't describe the feeling, it is amazing. I am so happy and so proud. We got the win as well so it is a really special day. We needed that good start. We haven't played the best coming into the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do.
"It is amazing to get the win under so much pressure. But we have to be consistent because we have the next game coming up in a few days and we have to win again.
"I feel in a good place. I feel the support and love from the fans, the coaching staff and my team-mates. That is all I need. I feel ready to give 100% and I will continue to do that every time I put the shirt on."
