Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest news and reaction to England’s victory over Serbia
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England will be more efficient after 'running out of energy' against Serbia, says Southgate
England kicked off their Euro 2024 tournament with a 1-0 victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening. Jude Bellingham started then finished a flowing move in the 12th minute to head the Three Lions into the lead and they saw out the rest of the game despite constant pressure from their opponents.
That victory moved them to the top of Group following an earlier draw between Denmark and Slovenia with the focus now switching to the match against the Danes on Thursday. A second win there and England will be through to the knockout rounds with one game to spare.
Gareth Southgate was pleased with the result and admitted that his team will benefit from the defensive test Serbia put them through, especially in the second half. He said: “That’s the reality of tournaments, they’re a strong team. We had to suffer a bit, which I think is really good for us, to come through and defend our box the way we did. The pressure was important for the group.”
Follow all the latest reaction and updates from Euro 2024 below:
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Jude Bellingham is Gareth Southgate’s cheat code but other issues stifle England
A flawless record continues, with some blemishes. Gareth Southgate’s England again won a tournament opening game, on the fourth of four such occasions. This occasionally awkward 1-0 win over Serbia certainly wasn’t to the level of Germany’s 5-1 thrashing of Scotland, and will raise new questions over what England need to do to get to that level. Jude Bellingham, naturally the match-winner, is one of the few parts of this team where there is absolutely no doubt. His early headed goal was the perfect illustration of that. Beyond that, though, Southgate has a bit to think about.
He knew that himself, of course. The England manager warned on the eve of the game that not every team would start like Germany, and made a point of stating the number of issues he has inherited going into Euro 2024.
Any tournament is a voyage of discovery in that regard, but Southgate still has a lot to figure out.
Jude Bellingham is Gareth Southgate’s cheat code but other issues stifle England
Serbia 0-1 England: Bellingham was sublime as he scored the only goal of the game but others struggled in a nervy win to open Euro 2024
Mike Jones17 June 2024 09:12
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Good morning!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Euro 2024. England opened their account beautifully on Sunday evening as they defeated Serbia 1-0 to kick off their campaign with a win.
Though Jude Bellingham’s decisive goal was a moment of style and class from the Three Lions they struggled to assert their dominance on the game and had to rely on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to ensure they got over the line.
Still, they collected three points and now sit top of Group C ahead of a crucial match versus Denmark on Thursday. We’ll have all the reaction to England’s victory plus build-up to today’s matches so stick with us throughout the day.
Mike Jones17 June 2024 09:00