Bellingham leads nervy England past Serbia in opener

England opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a nervy 1-0 win against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.

A tight game was settled with a goal after 13 minutes, when a deflected Bukayo Saka cross looped up for Jude Bellingham to head England in front.

In a tight game of few chances both goalkeepers were required to make good saves in the second half.

Predrag Rajkovic pulled off a superb reflex save to turn a Harry Kane header into the bar, while Jordan Pickford did well to turn over a late shot from Dusan Vlahovic.

England now lead Group C and will face Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.

TALKING POINT – England win but fail to convince

The jury is still out on England’s chances. Opening matches in international tournaments are often tight, and England will be relieved to get out of Gelsenkirchen with three points. Their record in the opening games of the European Championship is poor, so this was a valuable win to take control of Group C.

England controlled the match in the first half, but ceded possession and territory in the second which led to some edgy moments. The addition of Conor Gallagher in midfield with 20 minutes to go was a notable change, and if England run into one of the favourites further down the line that may need to be their opening gambit.

Marc Guehi settled in well in his first tournament match, but there were notably quiet performances from Phil Foden and, bar one chance late on, Kane. A disjointed win for England, but a win nonetheless; there is a lot for Gareth Southgate to work on if England are to go deep in this tournament.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Jude Bellingham (England)

If you have seen the Adidas advert set to Hey Jude, you will be well aware that Bellingham carries a heavy amount of expectation in this England team. He was comfortably England’s best player, controlling midfield and arriving late in the box to head in the winning goal.

PLAYER RATINGS

Serbia: Rajkovic 7; Veljkovic 6, Milenkovic 6, Pavlovic 7; Zivkovic 6, Milinkovic-Savic 6, Gudelj 5, Lukic 6, Kostic 6; Vlahovic 6, Mitrovic 5

SUBS: Mladenovic 7, Ilic 6, Jokic 6, Tadic 6, Birmancevic 6

England: Pickford 7; Walker 7 , Stones 6, Guehi 7, Trippier 6; Alexander-Arnold 6, Rice 7, Bellingham 8; Saka 7, Kane 6, Foden 5

SUBS: Gallagher 6, Bowen 7, Mainoo 6

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

13′ GOAL! SERBIA 0 ENGLAND 1 (BELLINGHAM) England score from their first real attack. Walker slides a ball through the inside right channel for Saka into the area. Saka hangs a cross in to the middle, where Bellingham flies in to plant a header high into the corner.

20′ CHANCE! Alexander-Arnold loses the ball near his own area. Serbia work it to Mitrovic near the D, who blasts a fierce drive just wide of the near post. I think Pickford had it covered, but that’s a warning shot to England not to get careless.

25′ BIG CHANCE! Alexander-Arnold intercepts a ball in the centre circle. Saka picks it up and feeds Walker, sending him haring into the Serbian area at top speed. In the end Walker gets caught between crossing and shooting and does neither, trickling a low ball through the six yard box and out for a goal kick. He had to shoot there, surely.

77′ SUPERB SAVE! Bowen is straight into it, beating Mladenovic down the right and hanging a cross to the back post. Kane climbs high to thump a header at goal, which Rajkovic turns onto the bar and out. What a stop!

82′ GOOD SAVE Vlahovic gets to a free ball on the edge of the area, before spinning and unloading with his left foot. It’s straight at Pickford, who takes no chances and flicks the ball over the bar. From the ensuing corner Kane is required to head a bouncing shot out of the six yard box, which he celebrates enthusiastically.

KEY STAT

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing, NBA and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.