Match day 1 review: England 6 Iran 2, Netherlands 2 Senegal 0 and Wales 1 USA 1

Sorry for the delayed review, but now that I’ve gotten time to write it, let’s get right into it.

England vs Iran: 6–2

England absolutely hammered Iran, though Iran tried their very best. The younger talents shone in this game, and I no longer have any doubts about my decision to support England. Beautiful goals and teamwork ensured England ran away with the game, with even the subs gelling well in the short time they were on the pitch. Every player was on point and performed exceptionally well, and the tactics were surprisingly sound. Good job SouthGate and co. One player in particular stood out, as Jude Bellingham ran the show for England. He was phenomenal, and deserved his goal 100%. At this rate, England could actually challenge for the WC.

Netherlands vs Senegal: 2–0

Netherlands struck gold twice late in the match to secure a win, which puts them in pole position to finish top as long as they beat Ecuador. The match was pretty even, before Cody Gakpo headed in a goal to give Netherlands the lead before substitutes Depay and Klaassen combined to secure the win. Netherlands were resilient and hardworking to get the 3 points, but require Depay to show up next game to provide them with creativity and a spark. Senegal, meanwhile, played surprisingly decent till collapsing late in the match. They should definitely win Qatar, but I have a feeling Ecuador may beat them to secure 2nd spot ahead of them.

USA vs Wales: 1–1

This game was surprisingly thrilling despite the scoreline, and Berhalter’s men were quite decent throughout the game despite my lack of faith in them. Wales, however, were clearly dominant in the second half, and deserved the equaliser which came through Gareth bale’s penalty. Both teams will be satisfied with a point, but in the end you couldn’t help but feel it was USA’s three points to lose and they failed to hold onto it.