England’s Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane with team-mates during a training session recently. Reuters
Doha: When England take on Iran on November 21 at 4pm at the Khalifa International Stadium, teams in arguably the most competitive group at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 begin their quest for the title glory.
The Group B which includes England, Iran, the USA and Wales, is fittingly dubbed ‘the group of death’ as it has the highest average FIFA ranking of any group. It is the only group with all teams ranked within the first 20. Going in to the world showpiece event, England is ranked 5th, the USA 16th, Wales 19th and Iran 20th.
England chasing history
For over 50 years, the World Cup triumph has evaded England. Their one and only victory came in 1966 with a 4-2 extra-time home win over West Germany after the match had ended 2-2. Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick in that final still remains the only hat-trick in a World Cup final.
In Qatar, England fans will hope that their captain and star player Harry Kane, 29, will replicate his red-hot form he showed in the last edition in Russia (2018) where he won the Golden Boot with six goals.
“I love scoring goals, I always have – especially for my country,” Kane said after the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. “So whenever I can help the team, that’s the most important thing.”
If Gareth Southgate’s side is to go beyond the fourth place it secured at the last World Cup Kane will have to group together the mostly young talent at his disposal in the crucial stages of the tournament. The Three Lions’ World Cup credentials have been boosted by a runners-up trophy in the UEFA EURO 2020 as well.
England will expect much from players like Declan Rice (midfielder), Harry Maguire (defender), Raheem Sterling (winger and attacking midfielder) and exciting young talents Jude Bellingham (midfielder) and Bukavo Saka (winger).
US can emerge – on paper
On paper the team that is expected to emerge unscathed from the group – and reach the Round of 16 or pre-quarterfinals - after England is the USA.
After a third-place finish way back in 1930 the US team is yet to show real mettle in the World Cup. They scraped through regional (CONCACAF) qualifiers to reach the World Cup finals after eight years. Their most recent appearance in the World Cup was in 2014 (Brazil).
A 2-0 defeat to Japan and a 0-0 draw against lower-ranked Saudi Arabia in their warm-up matches in September should be an awakening call for the Christian Pulisic-led the Stars & Stripes.
But the Gregg Berhalter-managed side boasts enough young talent to go past the group stage of the tournament. Their toughest clash will be against England. These two teams have met only twice in the World Cup. In the 1950 tournament the US caused an upset by beating England 1-0. And in 2010 it was a 1-1 draw. Berhalter will depend heavily on players like Chelsea forward Pulisic, attacking midfielder Gio Reyna and midfielder Weston Mckennie to carry the US deep in the tournament in Qatar.
A long wait for Wales
Wales had waited 64 long years to reach the FIFA World Cup finals yet again. The last time The Dragons were there was in 1958 – a creditable first appearance when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Brazil with 17-year-old Pele scoring the goal. To reach Qatar 2022 too Rob Page’s side had to wait a little longer as their playoff against Ukraine got delayed due to turmoil back in Ukraine. They saw off Austria and Ukraine to book their flight to Doha. Wales will begin their campaign in Qatar on Nov 21 meeting the US whom they have previously met twice in friendlies.
Their recent outing with Belgium (ranked 2nd) will stand in good stead for Wales when they lock horns with neighbouring rivals England in their final Group match on Nov 29. Their most recent meeting was in 2020 where England prevailed 3-0 in a friendly.
It goes without saying that the Welsh Dragons depend heavily on their talismanic captain Gareth Bale for much of the firepower. Although critics raise questions over the fitness and form of Bale,32, since joining Major League soccer side Los Angeles FC, it’s an accepted fact that Wales’ favourite soccer son raises his game by a few notches when he dons the national jersey. Bale is the country’s all-time top scorer with 40 goals in 108 caps and for sure he will expect to add a few more to that tally while in Qatar.
Page will also expect the duo of winger Daniel James and striker Kieffer Moore to come good in Qatar.
Iran knocking on the door
For Iran, Qatar 2022 is their third straight World Cup finals.
A side to reach the Group stage of the World Cup regularly, Iran will hope to enter the last 16 for the first time. Team Melli have had a good run to the showpiece event – winning eight matches and losing only one in the AFC qualifiers.
Under the experienced Portuguese coach Carlos Querioz, the Shiran-e Pars (Persian Lions) have the entire wherewithal to create an upset in the Group B. Battle-hardened Mehdi Taremi is expected to put the ball in the back of the net in their opening encounter against England (whom they are meeting for the first time), and then against Wales and the US. The Porto forward will be assisted by their strong attacking unit which also comprises Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun – all exposed to European championships. Amir Abedzadeh’s goalkeeping heroics too will determine Team Melli’s passage beyond the Group stage.
“I have a good feeling about this tournament as I’ve witnessed the team effort – so who knows? Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time ever would mean a lot for our fans and make us very proud,” Taremi said during a recent interview.
Iran will be definitely looking forward to the encounter against the US on Nov 29 – their last in the Group stage – as the Team Melli had a famous 2-1 win in the 1998 World Cup in Brazil. The tie against the US will galvanise the Iran fans further as recent off-field developments have put the two countries in sharp focus.
