England are probably the biggest favourites of Euro 2024, as it is often said that anything less than emerging as the Euro 2024 champions would be considered a failure by Southgate’s side. England kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday, taking over Serbia, who seemed quite a challenging opponent. Very soon in the first half, England’s most trustworthy performer and recent sensation, Jude Bellingham, gave Southgate’s side the lead they desired.
Walker strolled in with the ball before passing it on to Bukayo Saka, and the Arsenal forward never seemed to let it go as he set up a perfect cross in for the first goal, only for Bellingham to head it in.
However, despite the Premier League heroes giving their all-time best performance, England could not advance over the firm start they got in the first 45 minutes. Though Bellingham, Saka, and Walker continued to pose continuous threats to the opposition, Stones, Trippier, Foden, and Kane kept losing possession and never seemed to grip the game.
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In the second half, Serbia looked far more dominant, as even Saka seemed silent while Foden performed far below his expected high standards. Another star who hid among the shady clouds was the English center-back Guehi, who put on a stellar effort to manmark the Serbian striker Mitrovic.
The second half seemed far more defensive for Southgate’s side as he took off his attacking players, and even Kane was seen in the Serbian half heading off a clearance that denied Serbia an obvious goal.
Trippier never seemed to be in the groove alongside Alexander-Arnold, who seemed unfit in the new role of a playmaking midfielder. Late forward line changes also never seemed to affect England’s scoreline, as they failed to create any impact coming so late in the game.
However, despite a shaky victory, England would remain the most likely team to lift the Euro 2024.