Saka was Southgate’s surprise for Queiroz
The Iranian national team began its first match against England, while the opposing team had fond memories of a high-scoring victory against Panama in the World Cup in Russia and hoped to repeat such a victory against our national team, considered their weakest potential rival. A group of British football experts, especially Paul Merson and others like him, suggested specific lineups for the England national team and evaluated their team’s focal point from the players’ background, like Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was natural for Harry Kane, as the captain and star forward, to be the primary hope for scoring, and Bellingham to be the main hope for the young talents of England in the midfield.
However, Southgate’s surprise for the experts and even for Queiroz was Bukayo Saka, the creative and diminutive winger from Arsenal, who, with his stunning performance in today’s match, is now at the top of British sports news. It was clear that the Iranian players did not know how to handle Saka, and they were visibly taken by surprise.