England’s Euro 2024 campaign got off to a strong start under Jude Bellingham, but a 1-0 success over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen did not allay fears about the Three Lions’ chances of winning the continent for the first time.
In Gelsenkirchen, Bellingham was unmatched as the Real Madrid midfielder’s header on the thirteenth minute completed a superb solo performance.
However, as a team, England fell short of the levels demonstrated by Germany and Spain in their resounding victories in their opening games.
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There have rarely been larger expectations for England ahead of a major tournament, but they had only triumphed once in their previous five games, losing 1-0 to Iceland in their final warm-up before flying to Germany.
Rejuvenated, the Euro 2020 finalists looked to be winning the game and everything would go according to plan for Gareth Southgate.
Bellingham put on a show to support his claim as possibly the best player in the world right now, and Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic praised him as a future Ballon d’Or winner on the eve of the match.
The 20-year-old had the Serbian midfield chasing shadows as he played with the confidence of a freshly minted Champions League winner.
However, on minute 13, Bellingham demonstrated his physical strength as well to open the score.
He initiated the move, then charged into the box to head powerfully into the top corner after Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.
For the first forty-five minutes, England dominated without ever posing a threat to lose control.
Right-back Kyle Walker made a lunging run into the Serbian box, giving him the best opportunity to extend their lead before halftime, but he missed.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the right-back for Liverpool, was Southgate’s one wild card in the starting lineup. He chose to start him in midfield.
That choice almost backfired because Serbia’s lone goal opportunity in the first half came from an Alexander-Arnold mistake.
On the edge of the England box, Alexander-Arnold was taken out, but Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is in great form and has scored 40 goals in 43 games for Saudi champions Al Hilal this season, missed the mark.
In contrast, England was fortunate to maintain their lead and avoided punishment during the second period.
Due to the absence of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw’s lack of game experience, Southgate’s team entered the tournament with doubts about their defense.
Stepping into Maguire’s footsteps for Crystal Palace, Marc Guehi had a forgettable moment as Dusan Vlahovic outran him and Filip Mladenovic missed the cross from the Juventus striker.
After that, Mitrovic’s too enthusiastic penalty claim was dismissed, and Luka Jovic missed a good opportunity to score off Dusan Tadic’s pass.
To stop the bleeding, Southgate went to his bench, bringing on Jarrod Bowen and Conor Gallagher.
Bowen made an immediate impression as Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic skillfully deflected Harry Kane’s headed against the bar from his cross.
That was the only noteworthy play Kane made in the opposition area during a tough evening for the striker for Bayern Munich.
In fact, Kane’s most crucial move occurred a few moments later when he turned away Veljko Birmancevic’s attempt that was headed toward goal.
Vlahovic’s dipping drive also pushed Jordan Pickford to make his one and only save late in the game.
Though that was not the declaration of purpose anticipated from the pre-tournament favorites, England managed to hold on and begin with three points.
