History was made at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar after England recorded their biggest ever victory in an opening match at a major tournament: a 6-2 victory against Iran in the Three Lions' first game at the 2022 World Cup. And two Newcastle United players played their part.
Kieran Trippier, unsurprisingly, started from the off at right-back on Monday while club team-mate Callum Wilson replaced captain Harry Kane in the 76th minute as England put Iran to the sword. Wilson quickly made an impact after coming on - unselfishly setting up fellow substitute Jack Grealish for the Three Lions' sixth goal - while Trippier ended up wearing the captain's armband in the closing stages following another committed performance.
It was the first time since 1998 that Newcastle had two England internationals on the field at a World Cup at the same time and these really are elite level players with the mentality to match - and that is an added bonus for Gareth Southgate. Take Trippier's verdict, for instance, after Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka (twice), Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Grealish had all fired his side to a convincing win.
