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 – Appeared to be a strong force in Serbia’s sometimes weak defence. Kept Harry Kane quiet and tried to deal with England’s attackers.
CB: Nikola Milenkovic – 7/10 – Worked hard to mark England’s frontline, Kane especially. Confidently won challenges and allowed Serbia to push forward.
CB: Strahinja Pavlovic – 6/10 – Pavlovic was forced to put up a fight against Saka, and often dealt with the Arsenal star well. Youngster stood out in Serbia’s deep defence.
RM: Andrija Zivkovic – 6/10 – Attempted to put pressure on Bellingham but was often outsmarted by the England attacker.
CM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – 5/10 – Made a few opportunities in front of the box but was ultimately quiet for Serbia.
CM: Nemanja Gudelj – 7/10 – Proved to be a leading figure on the pitch and kept his side’s hopes alive while he was in the game.
CM: Sasa Lukic – 7/10 – Lukic looked very strong up front and made good technical decisions to push his team forwards. Tough and fast, and played fluidly.
LM: Filip Kostic – 6/10 – The Frankfurt player had to be substituted off the pitch in the first half with an injury. Tried to shake up Bellingham in the opening stages of the game.
CF: Dusan Vlahovic – 6/10 – Had a few moments of good play but struggled greatly to link up with Mitrovic, therefore limiting chances.
CF: Aleksandar Mitrovic – 7/10 – A disappointing game from the Serbian powerhouse. Looked like he would be a nuisance early on, but was unable to make a difference and was later sent to the bench.
Substitutes
SUB: Filip Mladenovic (43′ for Kostic) – 5/10
SUB: Ivan Ilic (46′ for Gudelj) – 6/10
SUB: Dusan Tadic (61′ for Lukic) – 6/10
SUB: Luka Jovic (61′ for Mitrovic) – 6/10
SUB: Veljko Birmancevic (74′ for Zivkovic) – 5/10
Subs not used: Djordje Petrovic (GK), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (GK), Srdjan Babic, Uros Spajic, Lazar Samardzic, Mijat Gacinovic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Nemanja Stojic, Srdjan Mijailovic, Petar Ratkov
Manager
Dragan Stojkovic – 5/10 – Made some useful substitions but was unable to crack England’s defence.
GK: Jordan Pickford – 7/10 – Had the luxury of not having to do too much in the first half, but dealt well with Serbia’s awakening in the latter stages of the game.
RB: Kyle Walker – 8/10 – Boasted immense speed up and down the pitch, forcing the opposition to try and keep up with him. When they were unable to do so, Walker continued to dominate.
CB: John Stones – 5/10 – Looked a bit shaky in the first half, and despite his experience Stones looked like a more immature presence in defence.
CB: Marc Guehi – 8/10 – Young defender looked strikingly confident in defence, passing well and positioning himself in just the right spaces. Made a remarkable clearance in the first half.
LB: Kieran Trippier – 5/10 – Similar to Stones, Trippier seemed slightly quiet in defence. Although, their backline did prove effective.
DM: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10 – Set out with an aim to prove everyone wrong in midfield and made sure to do so throughout. His performance without the ball remains untested and may become an issue in England’s Euro charge.
DM: Declan Rice – 7/10 – Always puts on a show and did so once again against Serbia. His skill may have gone slightly unnoticed alongside some of his teammates, but his control of the ball was vital.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 8/10 – Saka ran riot on the pitch and looked like a real handful for his Serbian opponents. Made a perfectly timed assist for Bellingham’s opening goal and continued to pose a threat in attack.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 9/10 – Another class performance from the 20-year-old star. His early goal separated the two sides and his skills in midfield proved useful in both attack and defence – an all-round sensational player.
LW: Phil Foden – 5/10 – Seemed to struggle to find his way in the game, but did make a few useful touches. He looked to drift into a more central position, but was still unable to make noise.
ST: Harry Kane – 5/10 – Keeping himself up top rather than looking for the ball deeper, Kane hardly made any touches and instead found comfort in just running up and down the pitch.
Substitutes
SUB: Conor Gallagher (69′ for Alexander-Arnold) – 6/10
SUB: Jarrod Bowen (76′ for Saka) – 6/10
Subs not used: Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Dean Henderson (GK), Luke Shaw, Ezri Konsa, Lewis Dunk, Ivan Toney, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, Joe Gomez, Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo
Manager
Gareth Southgate – 8/10 – Allowed his team to play with a fluid system which proved useful. Could have made more changes in the second half to remove nervy players.
Player of the match – Jude Bellingham (England)
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