sport news How have England fared in World Cup openers since 1966? trends now

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We're just days away from England kicking off their 2022 Qatar World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday.

As their preparations for the tournament ramp-up there has been much discussion over who Gareth Southgate will pick and what formation he will go with heading into the tournament.

But how do England tend to get on in their opening games of the World Cup? Sportsmail takes a look below...

Sir Alf Ramsey’s team started their defence of the World Cup as they finished the 1966 epic — with a win courtesy of a goal from Geoff Hurst. The West Ham man turned his opponent brilliantly inside the box before firing through the legs of goalkeeper Stere Adamache to give England victory in Guadalajara.

England began with a bang in Bilbao with Bryan Robson scoring after 27 seconds — the fastest goal in the tournament’s history until 2002. France hit back before Robson put England ahead again with a second-half header. Paul Marriner rounded off the win after capitalising on a defensive error.

Bobby Robson had injury concerns over Gary Lineker and captain Bryan Robson heading into the game in Monterrey but finished the match with fears over his defence. Despite plenty of England chances, Portugal pounced through Carlos Manuel, leaving furious manager Robson to label it a ‘shocking start’.