Euro 2024: Highlights from England's opening match

Win but not satisfied

Rated much higher than their opponents, the England team proactively increased the pressure right after the referee's whistle. However, facing a crowded defense of the Serbian team, Harry Kane and his teammates had a hard time finding a way into goalkeeper Predrag Rajković's goal.

However, individual efforts from Bukayo Saka on the right wing and a quick run from midfielder Jude Bellingham helped England open the scoring in the 13th minute.

After conceding the goal, the Serbian team tried to fight back to find an equalizer. However, their efforts were unsuccessful and the score of 1-0 remained until the end of the match.

With this victory, the England team had a favorable start in conquering the Euro championship, something they missed in the final 3 years ago.

Meanwhile, the chance to continue is still very big for the Serbian team when their next opponents are within reach of coach Dragan Stojković and his team.

Harry Kane fades

Striker Harry Kane was almost completely absent in the first half of this match. The striker of Bayern Munich Club only had 2 touches of the ball.

This improved in the second half, with Harry Kane dropping deep to link up with his teammates. The England captain's most notable chance was a header that hit the crossbar in the 77th minute. However, it was still a disappointing day for the 30-year-old striker.

Jude Bellingham Highlights

In contrast to his senior, Jude Bellingham had an impressive day. In the opening match against Serbia, the Real Madrid midfielder had 1 goal, 92 touches, 4/4 successful long passes, 67/70 accurate passes and 3 successful tackles. With those performances, Jude Bellingham was voted the best player of this match.

If he continues to maintain this excellent form in the upcoming matches, Jude Bellingham will be the one to bring the championship to the England team in this year's tournament.

The Serbian team has not had many opportunities yet.

Looking at the Serbian team's lineup, fans can easily see that this is a team with strong physiques. That is Strahinja Pavlović is 1m94 tall, Nikola Milenković is 1m95 tall, Sergej Milinković-Savić is 1m92 tall or Dušan Vlahović is 1m90 tall...

However, this makes the Serbian team lack softness and flexibility in their playing style. Their attacks are often long passes over the line or sideline attacks. Therefore, the dangerous opportunities that the Serbian team creates towards goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's goal are not many.

Therefore, coach Dragan Stojković's team needs to make changes in the upcoming matches if they want to go deep in this year's tournament.