Euro 2024: England battle to win against Serbia
England 1 - 0 Serbia
Jude Bellingham inspired England to the start they hoped for at Euro 2024, netting the winning goal and delivering a stellar performance in their victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
Bellingham's dream season continued, after clinching the Champions League in his debut campaign with Real Madrid, he showcased why he’s seen as England's latest superstar.
The 20-year-old rose magnificently to meet Bukayo Saka's deflected cross with a powerful header after 13 minutes, earning Gareth Southgate's side an early lead.
Despite starting strongly with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, England fell into familiar patterns after the break, sitting back and allowing Serbia to press. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a crucial late save from Dusan Vlahovic to maintain their lead.
Harry Kane nearly doubled England’s tally when his header from Jarrod Bowen's cross was superbly tipped onto the bar by Serbia's keeper, Predrag Rajkovic.
While improvements are needed, this result sends England into their second Group C game against Denmark on Thursday in good spirits.
Saka Impresses in the first half
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka was a major positive for Southgate, looking refreshed and particularly dangerous during the first 45 minutes of the match.
Bukayo Saka has 2️⃣7️⃣ goal contributions in 24 starts for England 🏴
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 16, 2024
What a record 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gpNMXdvlKF
Hey Jude: A Closer Look at England's Star
Bellingham's extraordinary rise shows no signs of stopping. The Real Madrid star is the first European player to appear in three major international tournaments before turning 21. He has scored in two of them, finding the net against Iran at the 2022 World Cup and now in the Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.
Fan Reaction
Liam, a Manchester United fan, commented: "A 1-0 win against a robust team is a good result. England didn't have it all their own way and had to defend. Since our defence has been seen as a weakness, I thought we defended with composure and strength."
Ken from Glossop added: "Marc Guehi's performance was impressive; he was calm and composed. It must be daunting to enter your first major tournament, but he didn’t show it at all. He did the basics very well, didn't try anything extraordinary, and was always proactive and ready."
Some people and pundits were critical of Manchester City's Phil Foden. BBC pundit Cesc Fabregas provided his insight into this.
How can England get the best out of Phil Foden? 🤔#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #SRBENG pic.twitter.com/AWh69HEQym
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 16, 2024
Macca, a Manchester City fan, added: " It's all very well having all that fluid movement in midfield as in the first half, made easier when the opposition sits back. But when they come at you as in the second half you need structure otherwise the players look a bit all over the place. The team needs someone in the centre to hold their position and put their foot on the ball. We didn’t seem to have that. I'd argue that Adam Wharton is a better option in the team. It could also be more Kobbie Mainoo than Trent Alexander-Arnold. Despite that, we won the match and have taken a massive step to the last 16. Victory over Denmark could easily see us clinch the top spot, allowing Southgate to rest players in the final and maybe try some different combinations of players."
