For all the hype surrounding the leading contenders at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, few have disappointed so far in the early stages of the tournament.
Qatar, Australia and Japan all managed to pick up opening victories albeit with varying degrees of difficulty.
On Sunday evening, it was Iran's turn to take to the field -- and there was not long to wait before they issued a statement of intent.
72 seconds to be exact.
With their Group C opener against Palestine barely a minute old, Team Melli broke down the left before Saman Ghoddos' invention saw him deftly poke the ball out to Karim Ansarifard, who effortlessly guided a shot into the bottom corner.
It was the type of expansive yet clinical football the Iranians are expected to deliver and it took them no time at all to produce the goods.
Then, they went on to deliver several more statements -- en route to a comprehensive 4-1 triumph.
Just ten minutes later, Shoja' Khalilzadeh had doubled their advantage and, by the 38th minute, the contest was effectively over when Mehdi Ghayedi added a third following another incisive foray forward -- this time, right through the heart of the opposition defence.
In all honesty, perhaps the first real sign of how formidable Team Melli will be at this Asian Cup came an hour before kickoff when the starting lineups were confirmed.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei had the confidence and luxury to leave five Europe-based players on the bench.
Still, his starting XI boasted a current Premier League player in Ghoddos, a two-time Portuguese Primera Liga top scorer in Mehdi Taremi and a recent Eredivisie champion in Alireza Jahanbakhsh, while Ansarifard is no slouch himself with Nottingham Forest, Osasuna and Olympiacos among his former clubs.
And when Ghalenoei produced another flex at halftime by showing he could call upon in reserve a player currently on loan at Roma from Bayer Leverkusen, Sardar Azmoun duly went on to net his team's fourth and final goal within ten minutes.
There was a minor blemish for Iran with Palestine pulling one back deep into first-half stoppage time as disarray from a set-piece led to Tamer Seyam capitalising on a mismatch with the more-diminutive Ehsan Hajsafi to score with a header, although it is likely to cause Ghalenoei too many worries given how dominant his team were.
South Korea and Saudi Arabia are the last remaining powerhouses yet to be in action and chances are they will favourites to go on and claim opening wins too - even if their respective ties against Bahrain and Oman are far from straightforward.
And unless they issue anything as dominant as what Iran produced on Sunday, then Team Melli have to be regarded as the early frontrunners for the Asian Cup.