Jude Bellingham handed England a winning start at Euro 2024, with the ace midfielder heading home the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
Bellingham made a surging run into the penalty area and bravely threw himself at the ball to send it powering into the net and give the tournament favorites a lead they would never surrender.
Coming off a spectacular debut campaign with Real Madrid that saw him named La Liga player of the season, Bellingham was again the star of the show for Gareth Southgate’s England, helping it move straight to the top of Group C.
By most opinions, Bellingham is either the best player in the world right now, or close to it, and his composure, physicality and work rate in an advanced midfield position is a big part of why England’s chances are rated so highly.
With Denmark and Slovenia having earlier battled to a 1-1 draw, this result put England firmly in control of the group ahead of its clash with Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.
It was grateful to not only Bellingham’s quick movement, but the brisk trickery on the right wing by Bukayo Saka, whose final involvement of Euro 2020 was to miss the penalty that sealed England’s shootout defeat to Italy in the final.
But Saka is a key cog in Southgate’s attacking formation and his speedy run and floated cross was the crucial part of the scoring move.
England did not have everything its own way, with Serbia coming out with far more attacking intent in the second half in an attempt to erase the slender lead.
Central defensive duo Marc Guehi and John Stones had to be alert on several occasions, as Aleksandar Mitrovic posed a constant threat and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic kept finding ways to move into open space.
Near the end, captain Harry Kane had the chance to increase the advantage, but his powerful header to pushed onto the bar by Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
At the other end, Dušan Vlahović’s fierce strike forced Jordan Pickford to react quickly and tip the ball over the top.
If England is to finally end its drought of major tournament wins — the only one in its history was triumph in the 1966 World Cup — many believe it has to happen now, with the likes of Bellingham, Saka and Phil Foden approaching their peak and Kane still the world’s best pure striker.
Southgate has come close over the past eight years that he has been in charge, but suffered defeats in the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup and quarterfinal of the same tournament four years later.
Between those was the ultimate heartbreak, that infamous Euros final loss on home soil.
This wasn’t the most convincing way to kick off what is hoped to be a redemption campaign, but given England’s poor record in the opening game of Euros tournaments – just one win from eight before this – it was a welcome outcome.
Bellingham was substituted five minutes before the end to give him a little rest at the end of a hectic club schedule, replaced by an even younger teammate, Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo.
The job, by then, was essentially done. A bigger one awaits.
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