Emdlalweni wokuvula imidlalo kaGroup B kwitumente yehlabathi, amaNgesi azuze impumelelo yawo ebalulekile. AmaNgesi ayivuthulule ngamagowuli amathandathu kwamabini (6-2) i-Iran emdlalweni weNdebe yeHlabathi obuseKhalifa International Stadium emalanga namhlanje eQatar. Uxinizelelo belikwiqela likaGareth Southgate kuba linabadlali abaphambili nabadlalela amaqela amakhulu eYurophu. Ngethamsanqa amakhwenkwe wakhe uSouthgate, ekulindelwe lukhulu kuwo kweli ityeli, akhawuleze ayibeka endaweni yayo i-Iran engaqaliyo ukuthatha inxaxheba kwitumente yehlabathi. AmaNgesi, abehlasela ngamadoda amathathu emdlalweni, alibeke phantsi koxinizelelo iqela likaCarlos Queiroz – kodwa akayifumana ipenela emzuzwini wesithathu emva kokuwiswa kukaHarry Maguire nguRouzbeh Cheshmi.
Emva kokonzakala kukanozinti we-Iran, uAlireza Beiranvand, ongqubene nogxa wakhe, asokole AmaNgesi kwi-Iran ebizimisele ukufela kuyo. Ithuba elicacileyo lize ngoBukayo Saka – ingqungqumbana edlalela iChelsea kwiEnglish Premier League – kodwa akukho nto ayenzileyo. Ide yabhalisa ebhodini iNgilane ngegowuli elifakwe ngentloko nguJude Bellingham odlalelwe ibhola entle nguLuke Shaw emzuzwini wamashumi amathathu anesine kwisigaba sokuqala somdlalo. Aphindile AmaNgesi abhakuzelisa umnatha emizuzwini embalwa emvakoko ngebhola efakwe sisiququ, uBukayo Saka. Phambi kokusongwa kwesiqingatha sokuqala, uRaheem Sterling ufake igowuli lesithathu leNgilane. Ekuqaleni kwesigaba sesibini, uQueiroz wenze utshintsho lwabadlali abathathu bonke ngoba bekucacile ukuba iNgilane ilongamele iqela lakhe.
Ukungena kukaHossein Kanani, uSaedi Ezatolahi no-Ali Cholizadeh kuwenzile umahluko ngoba i-Iran ibonakele idlala umdlalo ozinzileyo. Ubuyile kwakhona uSaka wafaka igowuli lesibini emzuzwini wamashumi amathathu anesibini emva kokudlula kuMajid Hossein. Afumene igowuli lokubika i-Iran ngegowuli elihle elifakwe nguMehdi Tameri. Khange kube kudala uMarcus Rashford engenile ebaleni, ufake elakhe igowuli. Izamile ukuphindisa i-Iran – kodwa uRashford uye wafaka igowuli lakhe lesibini emzuzwini wamashumi asibhozo anesine. UJack Grealish, othathe indawo kaSterling, ufake igowuli lesithandathu leNgilane. Phambi kokuphela komdlalo, i-Iran ifumene igowuli lesibini ngepenela. Umdlalo uphele iNgilane iphumelela ngo’6-2 yatsho yahlala phezulu kuGroup B.
ABafana Bafana bayingombe yanaba iCongo Brazzaville, eGqeberha!