Bellingham shines as England hold out for victory over Serbia

England edged to a 1-0 victory over Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener to go top of Group C.

Gareth Southgate’s side impressed in the opening 45 minutes, with the brilliant Jude Bellingham heading them in front after just 13 minutes from Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.

They should have then doubled their lead when Kyle Walker burst into the box midway through that first half but sent his cross-shot wide of the far post and beyond the reach of Phil Foden and Harry Kane.

That failure to capitalise on their dominance led to a nervous end to the half and there was a momentum shift after the interval. Serbia stepped up, England lost their way.

Aleksandar Mitrovic saw a penalty appeal waved away when Kieran Trippier nudged him to the ground at the near post.

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Subs Dusan Tadic and Luka Jovic then almost combined as Serbia pressed for a leveller, England dropped deeper and Southgate delayed any changes of his own.

When the England boss did eventually turn to his bench there was almost an instant impact from Jarrod Bowen. His cross was met by Harry Kane whose header was brilliantly pushed against the underside of the bar by Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

Serbia continued to build pressure, though, with Jordan Pickford forced to tip over Dusan Vlahovic’s drive before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic lashed one wide from distance.

England were desperate for the final whistle and hanging on, but when it eventually came they could celebrate a victorious start to this Euros campaign.

The draw between Slovenia and Denmark earlier on Sunday means England are already well-placed to qualify for the knockouts – but they will need to play like they did in the first half rather than the second if they are to go deep in this tournament.

Sam Blitz’s player ratings

Serbia: Rajkovic (6); Veljkovic (5), Milenkovic (6), Pavlovic (6); Zivkovic (6), Milinkovic-Savic (5), Gudelj (4), Lukic (5), Kostic (3); Vlahovic (6), Mitrovic (5)

Subs: Mladenovic (7), Ilic (6), Tadic (6), Jovic (5), Birmancevic (6)

England: Pickford (7); Walker (8), Stones (7), Guehi (8), Trippier (7); Rice (9), Alexander-Arnold (8); Saka (8), Bellingham (9), Foden (7); Kane (7)

Subs: Gallagher (6), Bowen (7), Mainoo (n/a)

Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham (England)

Analysis: Familiar concerns emerge for England

Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

England fans have seen this match before. A fast start followed by the team relinquishing control and Southgate sitting on his subs has become a familiar pattern. Against Serbia – and on plenty of previous occasions – England have found a way to get over the line. But it’s hardly a recipe for tournament glory.

England went from convincing to concerning in this opening game. The authority and dominance of the opening half hour turned to panic by the end, as Serbia stepped it up.

Kane on the fringes in the first half

Harry Kane had just two touches of the ball in the first half against Serbia.

He dropped deeper in the second half and had 22 more touches of the ball, including his header which was pushed onto the bar.

For all the talk about England’s attacking assets in this squad, they were once again dropping deep and hanging on for the final whistle. It was hardly the hallmark of European champions in waiting.

But three points are on the board. A place in the knockouts is almost assured. And there is time to find a way to play with their early swagger for 90 minutes. But that approach has to come from the top. Southgate needs to set that tone.

Star performer: Jude Bellingham

Image:
Bellingham produced a fantastic performance in England’s opener

Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

This boy can do it all. And he’s only 20 years old. Incredible. Jude Bellingham started and finished the move for England’s opener, bravely and brilliantly throwing himself at Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross to put his side in front.

He’s earned a reputation in his first season at Real Madrid as a match winner and he was the difference maker here for England. And not just with his goal. From his defensive work, sliding into tackles or nicking the ball off Serbian players, to spraying passes around, including one delicious volleyed ball back to Kyle Walker Bellingham was at the heart of it all for England.

The respect he already has from opposition teams was clear to see too, with Serbia regularly targeting him with some rough stuff. But he’s a tough kid as well as a classy one.

England’s chances in Germany are strongly linked to how the Birmingham boy does. He’s off to a flyer.

What they said…

England captain Harry Kane to BBC: “We knew it would be a tough game. Serbia pose a threat. Very physical. I thought we dealt with it well. Overall we deserved to win. The group is just about getting through.

“Jude is an unbelievable player. He deserves all the praise, the confidence he plays with and the way he affects games. It’s important for players that play in his position to get goals and assists. He finished it off nicely.”

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Stats: Story of the match

So far in Group C…