FIFA World Cup 2022: Day 2 – England, Netherlands bag emphatic wins, while USA, Wales settle for draw

Day Two of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 saw three games played at as many venues. First up, 1996 winners, England locked horns with Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar. After this, the Netherlands faced the Western African side, Senegal at the Al Thumama Stadium, Doha. The last game of the day was played between the United States of America and Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

Match Number 1 – England hammers Iran to start their campaign

In the first game of the day, the Three Lions brushed aside their opponents. White Brigade asserted their dominance in the first half, thanks to a goal each from Jude Bellingham (35′), Bokayo Saka (43′), and Raheem Sterling (45+1′). In the second half, England further increase the misery of Iran as Saka scored his second in the 62nd minute.

Three minutes after this, Mehdi Taremi provided a moment to cherish for the Asian side. However, it was shortlived as Marcus Rahsford (71′) and Jack Grealish (90′) joined the party with a goal each. The game finished with a second goal from Mehdi in the 13th minute of injury time. England won by 6-2 after the final whistle.

Match Number 2 – Netherlands earns hard-fought win against Senegal

The Dutch played their first game of the World Cup since 2014. Four years back, they couldn’t qualify for the tournament played in Russia. Meanwhile, Orange Army dominated the first half but didn’t convert them into goals due to poor aim. On the other hand, the Western Africa side missed the services of Sadio Mane who is ruled out of the tournament.

It looked like the game will end in a tame draw with Senegal looking pedestrian and Netherlands failing to score. However, Cody Gakpo (84′) and Davy Klassen (90+9′) ensured the team won by 2-0.

Match Number 3 – USA and Wales settled for a draw

In a hardly-fought game, both teams settled for a 1-1 draw in the end. Timothy Weah from the USA scored in the 36th minute. For most parts, the US was leading the game with a solitary point. However, Wales superstar, Gareth Bale made the most of the penalty in the 84th minute and equalized the game.