England bid to win the World Cup after Qatar lost



European heavyweights England and the Netherlands kick off their World Cup campaigns on Monday as the Qatar tournament picks up speed after a dismal loss to the hosts.

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Asian champions Qatar became the first home country to lose their first World Cup match as Ecuador took a 2-0 win on Sunday with veteran striker Enner Valencia scoring twice.

England, who face Iran in Group B, will be desperate to start strong as they aim to end their years-long trophy drought after two misses in recent years.

Gareth Southgate’s men unexpectedly reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and then advanced to their first major final in 55 years at last year’s European Championship.

Despite his success as England manager, Southgate faced criticism for his perceived negative tactics and pressure escalated following poor results.

“The first thing a coach has to do is to let (the team) win,” he said. “Then, of course, you want to play football that excites people, that players like.

“Our task is to give the fans a memorable tournament. We’ve had a fantastic trip with them in the last two tournaments.”

With matches against the United States and Wales going to be tougher, England cannot afford a slow start against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.

The first match of England takes place against the backdrop of bloody demonstrations in the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s spiritual leadership has been shaken by more than two months of women’s protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman of Kurdish origin, who was arrested by the vice police in Tehran.

Defender Ehsan Haysafi said: “They should know that we sympathize with them,” adding that “home conditions are bad.”

– Bale leads in Wales –

In the other Group B game, the US will take on Gareth Bale’s Wales team, which is participating in the World Cup for the first time since 1958.

Captain Bale said he hoped to inspire a new generation of Welsh footballers.

“Everyone has been dreaming about this for so long,” said the former Real Madrid striker. “We had so many close calls. It was incredible for us to be a team that crossed the line.

“But more importantly, the best thing is to develop football in our country, to inspire a new generation. By doing this, we hope that we will have a stronger national team in the future.”

The Netherlands will play Senegal in Group A, while the African champions will miss out on their injured talisman Sadio Mane.

The Dutch failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018, but the three-time runners-up are back in business under veteran manager Louis van Gaal, who led the team to the semi-finals in 2014.

“We have to believe in our qualities and in ourselves and be confident,” said Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

“We have a fantastic manager, an experienced manager. We have players who play at the highest level, in the biggest clubs in the world.”

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was optimistic about his team’s chances despite Mane’s absence.

“Of course, we will not hide the importance of Sadio Mane for the Senegalese team – he is very important, the coach builds his team around his best players.

“But there is also a group here with experienced players, with young players ready to step up. Before, we had to play matches without Sadio Mane.”