Saka and Rashford banish ghosts as Lions roar again

As he stood on the touchline at the Khalifa International Stadium waiting to come on as a substitute, Marcus Rashford was preparing himself for his first kick of the ball in an England shirt in 489 days, since the penalty that he missed in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out defeat to Italy.

- MARK CRITCHLEY

Shortly after, when that first kick came, it controlled Harry Kane’s pass out to the right wing, bringing it into his orbit. Rashford’s second touch would take the ball back inside, wrongfooting Iran’s Ali Karimi. His third was the finish low and to the right of goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini. From the restart of play after Rashford’s introduction to the goal, it was a redemption story that took all of 25 seconds easily the fastest of the night, but not the only one.

The player Rashford replaced, Bukayo Saka, had left the pitch having scored twice. The youngster has remained a major part of Gareth Southgate’s plans since his decisive role in what was English football’s most painful night for a generation, perhaps even the most painful in the 150-year history of the national team.

Saka has already shown a fortitude and resilience which belies his 21 years of age since his miss against Italy. The England setup had been blown away by his character, mentality, and maturity in the run-up to Euro 2020. That was part of the reason why he was picked to take that fifth penalty, despite it being the first time he had stepped up to the spot in his senior career. But against Iran, Saka did not need to be on spot-kick duties to exorcise any remaining demons.