England began its quest to make up for the disappointment of the summer of 2021, when they lost the final at home to Italy on penalties, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Serbia on Sunday in Group C of the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. This victory was thanks to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, who scored the only goal.
In Gelsenkirchen, and in the first official meeting between the two teams, which was classified as high-risk due to the history of their supporters, England, still searching for their first major title since winning the World Cup in 1966 on home soil, delivered the required performance, albeit not reaching the level of their expectations to lift the trophy. This win marked Serbia's defeat in their first match in the tournament as an independent country, first from Yugoslavia and then from Montenegro (after participating last as Serbia and Montenegro in 2000).
With Bellingham scoring the only goal in the 13th minute of a match where his team struggled, especially in the second half, he celebrated his historic achievement as the first European player to compete in three major tournaments before celebrating his 21st birthday (20 years and 353 days), having previously participated in Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
After Gareth Southgate's men managed only one win in their last five warm-up matches before the finals, including a loss to Iceland at home 0-1 and a draw with modest North Macedonia 1-1, Sunday was the test in Gelsenkirchen. "The Three Lions" succeeded in passing the exam, although it was difficult, in a group that also saw Denmark draw with Slovenia 1-1 on Sunday in Stuttgart.
In the second round, England will face Denmark on Thursday in Frankfurt, while Serbia will play against Slovenia in Munich.
