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Jude Bellingham’s first-half header won the game for the Three Lions, but observers criticised Gareth Southgate’s approach.
England secured triumph in their opening game of the European Championship, defeating Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen.
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21:52 - 16.06.2024
EURO 2024: Ballon d‘Or favourite Bellingham heads England to victory vs Serbia
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham proved the difference as England kicked off EURO 2024 with a win.
Serbia vs England
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Jude Bellingham’s 13th-minute header decided the match, with the Real Madrid midfielder notching the co-favourite’s first strike at Euro 2024.
Observers expected Gareth Southgate’s men to push on after the break, but they sought control over adding to their lead.
That has precipitated criticism of the Three Lions boss, whose results-first approach often rubs critics the wrong way owing to the talent in this England iteration.
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After Sunday’s 1-0 win, Southgate’s men have kept four consecutive group-stage clean sheets at the European Championship (Euros 2020 and 2024), with five altogether (against Slovakia at Euro 2016), setting a new record in such games.
The glass remains half-empty rather than half-full, and Pulse Sports pick out three statistics that underlined Sunday’s humdrum Group C game.
- Serbia’s six shots and England’s five means there were 11 attempts in 90 minutes on Sunday, the lowest at Euro 2024. According to Opta, that paltry number is the lowest of any game at the European Championship since 1980 (323 matches).
- Serbia’s Expected Goals (xG) of 0.17 and England’s (0.54) added up to 0.71, highlighting the paucity of clear-cut chances in Gelsenkirchen.
- There were 22 touches in the penalty area on Sunday — 11 for Serbia and 12 for England — the fewest of any match at the ongoing competition. For context, there were 33 in Friday’s tournament opener between Germany and Scotland, 42 in Hungary vs Switzerland, 48 in Spain’s clash with Croatia, 41 in Italy vs Albania, 61 in the game between Poland and the Netherlands and 45 in the other Group C match involving Slovenia and Denmark.
What comes next?
England could secure their spot in the first knockout round if they clinch maximum points against Denmark on June 20, five days before their final group match against Slovenia.
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