England took to the pitch in Gelsenkirchen to kick off their Euro 2024 campaign and assert a dominance over Serbia.
It was a confident start from the Three Lions, who looked to play with fluidity and style to make their mark on the international stage. Just a single goal seperated the sides, but it was enough to see England take the victory in their opening group game.
Serbia fought back hard in the second half, but were unable to hurt England’s defence.
How the game unfolded
England looked coordinated and confident from the offset, dominating possession and swiftly moving into useful positions to shut down Serbia’s early hopes.
20-year-old Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 13th minute, perfectly meeting a cross from Bukayo Saka to head the ball in from six yards out. The Real Madrid star became the first England player to score in the tournament, further building his case in his race for the Ballon D’or.
Serbia were quick to react and came close to bringing the game level as Trent Alexander-Arnold loss possession of the ball, leaving it to fall to Aleksandar Mitrovic – who attempted a shot past Jordan Pickford. The ball flew just wide, calming England’s nerves momentarily.
Gareth Southgate’s side continued to lead the game, dancing around the pitch looking confidence in both defence and attack. Their threat in defence highlighted problems in Serbia’s attack, as Dragan Stojkovic’s team were forced to move side to side to advance past England’s solid backline.
Serbia marched onto the pitch in the final 45 minutes of the game with much more confidence and ambition, looking to win the ball and shatter England’s lead. Southgate’s suddenly side looked nervy as their opponent grew into the game, bringing pressure as the clock ticked on.
Despite the uncomfortable nature of the second half, England managed to cling on and ultimately defended well enough with the finish line in sight. A late chance came for Serbia’s Dusan Vlahovic, but Pickford’s strong hand kept it away from the back of the net. Moments earlier, an otherwise quiet Harry Kane had seen a powerful header spectacularly turned onto the bar by Predrag Rajkovic.
GK: Predrag Rajkovic – 5/10 – Was challenged between the sticks from the start and throughout. The goalkeeper was unable to stop Bellingham from nodding a close-range ball into the back of the net, but made better saves later in the game.
CB: Milos Veljkovic – 6/10 -…
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