It might only have been Iran, but it still meant the world to Jack Grealish. Don’t tell the Manchester City midfielder that his late goal in England’s World Cup group opener meant nothing.
Eighteen months ago Grealish was the darling of the country, but there’s nothing like a move to City to rob someone of that status. It’s probably James Maddison who has that role now.
But in what turned out to be an emphatic romp for England, Grealish still managed to play a part. He may be accustomed to being a reserve for England, but he’s still making an impact.
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Maybe the most interesting thing from a City perspective was seeing Grealish play a slightly more central role. On a day when Grealish and Foden had to settle for places on the bench, there was some relevance at least if Pep Guardiola was watching.
It was a slick and surprisingly impressive performance from England, but it’s probably made life harder for Foden and Grealish to get a start as the tournament progresses.
Guardiola would probably prefer his players to be playing regularly if they’re in Qatar, rather than losing match sharpness sitting on the sidelines, but at least Grealish showed something of interest when he came on.
The £100million midfielder has had an indifferent season so far, with moments of immense promise intertwined with the feeling it just isn’t happening for him at the Etihad.
Most of his best performances have come off the left, especially in the win against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup less than two weeks ago. It was a surprise after that display that he wasn’t involved against Brentford.
It's worth revisiting Guardiola's comments after the win against Chelsea, because after that performance and those words it felt like a bit of a breakthrough, even if it was a Carabao Cup third-round tie.
"The first intention is go to score a goal. He’s not a real threat for the back four because he’s going to pass the ball, but today his body language is ‘I’m going to score a goal’. Then after, shoot or pass," said Guardiola.
"Today was three or four times he did it and this is what we wanted. Today he didn’t score but with the chances he will do it. He was exceptional again, Jack is playing really, really good."
Grealish carried the ball and dribbled with purpose on that occasion, which is why it was a surprise he wasn't involved when City badly needed a goal against Brentford.
Starting on the bench for England would have been another disappointment, but when he came on against Iran, Grealish showed those traits Guardiola wanted, and he did it from a more central position.
In a short cameo, he regularly looked to dribble with the ball, to go past players, and although his goal was a tap-in, his industry and invention deserved it. It was a reminder that he must just be going in the right direction for City as well.
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