Bellingham Shines In England's Slender Win Over Serbia

England secured a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener, moving to the top of Group C.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Gareth Southgate’s team put on a strong display in the opening 45 minutes, with Jude Bellingham scoring a brilliant header to put them ahead just 13 minutes into the game, courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.

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They had a chance to double their lead when Kyle Walker burst into the box midway through the first half, but his cross-shot went wide of the far post, out of reach for both Phil Foden and Harry Kane.

Failing to capitalize on their dominance resulted in a tense end to the half, and the momentum shifted after the interval. Serbia stepped up their game while England faltered.

Aleksandar Mitrovic had a penalty appeal waved away after Kieran Trippier nudged him to the ground at the near post.

Substitutes Dusan Tadic and Luka Jovic nearly combined as Serbia pressed for an equalizer. England dropped deeper, and Southgate delayed making any changes.

When the England manager eventually turned to his bench, Jarrod Bowen almost made an immediate impact.

His cross found Harry Kane, whose header was brilliantly pushed against the underside of the bar by Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

Serbia continued to build pressure, with Jordan Pickford forced to tip over a drive from Dusan Vlahovic before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic lashed a shot wide from distance.

England were desperate for the final whistle and hanging on, but when it finally came, they could celebrate a victorious start to their Euros campaign.

The draw between Slovenia and Denmark earlier on Sunday puts England in a strong position to qualify for the knockouts.