Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat
Jude Bellingham (right) celebrates after heading home what proved to be the winner in Gelsenkirchen. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
England are up and running. Again. It has been a happy feature of the Gareth Southgate years that his team always win their opening tie at tournaments. It never used to be the case with England but to the list that features Tunisia, Croatia and Iran can be added the name of Serbia.
It was a nervy second half, a stark contrast to the enjoyment and expression of the first period, which had been epitomised by Jude Bellingham. England dropped deep, stirring a few uncomfortable memories and simply trusting their ability to hold an extremely aggressive Serbia at bay. They succeeded.
In the final analysis, Jordan Pickford was not overly tested. The goalkeeper made one eye-catching tip over from Dusan Vlahovic’s drive on 82 minutes and, ultimately, it was a triumph of resilience, England’s defence – one of the many pre-tournament worries – emerging with honours.
Bellingham got the goal, a thumping early header, and England, who would hit the crossbar through Harry Kane towards the end, were left to savour the result. It had been the absolute priority.
The buildup had throbbed with intensity, every detail scrutinised, magnified. It was impossible to ignore the sense that it was a mass cultural event back in England; everybody pausing, connecting, the immersion total. The players had felt the nervous excitement build during the day – it was a long wait for the 9pm kick-off CET – and the basic requirement had been for them to master the occasion.
The atmosphere pulsed. Both anthems were booed beforehand. It was never going to be a night for niceties. From England’s point of view, the makeup of midfield was a major subplot. The fluidity was pronounced, Phil Foden drifting into central areas from his nominal starting position on the left. Bellingham was the No 10. He was also the left-sided No 8. He dropped deep at times. But it was when he attacked the six-yard box in the 13th minute that he gave England the start they had dreamed about.
The celebratory pose was familiar, Bellingham standing with his arms outstretched, and what a header it was, loaded with raw aggression but control too. Trent Alexander-Arnold had found Kyle Walker and it was the right-back who ignited the move, ushering in Bukayo Saka up the right. Across came Strahinja Pavlovic, intent on taking man, ball; either, both. He got a bit of the ball when Saka crossed, affecting the flight. Bellingham read it, surging inside Andrija Zivkovic to plant the header high into the net.
The big question regarding Serbia had been where Dusan Tadic would start. He was on the bench, it turned out, Dragan Stojkovic going with both of his main strikers, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic. The manager asked the latter to drop to the right of a midfield four out of possession, in front of a back five. The idea was to create two solid red walls.
Serbia were physical, leaving plenty on England in the challenges. Bellingham felt a few in the first half but it only seemed to fire him up even further. He was in the mood and he decorated the first half with some wonderful moments. How about the side-on volleyed crossfield pass with the outside of his right boot? Or the shoulder drop, the surge upfield, the riding of a challenge and then another thrilling run. It looked as though he was in the playground.
Alexander-Arnold had a few nice moments on the ball before the interval. He also had a bad one when his loose touch allowed Zivkovic to supply Mitrovic for a meaty drive that flew wide. That apart, England held Serbia at arm’s length with relative comfort in the first half.
Saka menaced up the right with his quick feet and explosive acceleration. He had the beating of his man while he also released Walker for a run after Alexander-Arnold had stretched to make an interception. Walker’s low cross was just in front of Foden.
Much has been made of the changed nature of Southgate’s squad, with 13 new faces from Qatar 2022, yet the manager’s starting XI bristled with knowhow. There were more than enough caps in it (538 to be precise before kick-off). Marc Guéhi was the only one with fewer than 25.
Serbia pushed higher from the second-half restart, especially their wing-backs. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the dangerman midfielder, was given greater licence to get closer to the strikers. Tadic came on. There was a spell when Kane could not get England’s out-ball to stick. This Serbia team usually scores. Their support turned up the decibel levels. The tension was extraordinary.
A detail from the first period was that Kane only touched the ball twice. The captain was more prominent after the interval, although he appeared to be involved more in wrestling matches, fighting to hold the ball up. Serbia knocked England out of their stride and it was alarming to see how Southgate’s players dropped deep. They invited pressure and Serbia were close to getting in on goal.
The second half was not a siege of the England goal but it had the trappings of it. There were times when the pass upfield was not on for Southgate’s players and Serbia made life uncomfortable. Southgate moved for the energy of Conor Gallagher, introducing him for Alexander-Arnold while Jarrod Bowen replaced Saka.
Bowen did well, crossing for Kane to extend the goalkeeper, Predrag Rajkovic, who brilliantly tipped the ball up and against the crossbar and, when Pickford denied Vlahovic, England were virtually home. When Kane made a clearing header to keep out a shot from the substitute Veljko Birmancevic, they were.