GELSENKIRCHEN.- Jude Bellingham opened his scoring account in the European Championship to give Sunday to England the 1-0 victory in their debut against Serbia.
The Real Madrid star put the Three Lions ahead with a stunning header in the 13th minute after a cross from Bukayo Saka.
At home at London’s Wembley Stadium, Gareth Southgate’s team succumbed to penalties in the final of the last European Championship, and is back in action in Germany with the title of favorite. Serbia plays its first Euro since 2000.
The run-up to the match was overshadowed by fears due to brawls between fans of both teams. And some of the fear was realized when police intervened to quell brawls on the streets of Gelsenkirchen early in the day.
Videos spread on social media showed individuals throwing chairs at each other outside a restaurant decorated with Serbian flags.
The English fans were quick to celebrate with Bellingham’s early goal.
Harry Kane managed to increase the lead in the second half with a header after a magnificent serve from Jarrod Bowen. But Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic and the crossbar got in the way.
Kane set a national team record with his 23rd appearance in a major tournament.
The favorite at the top:
The victory at the Veltins Arena catapulted the English to first place in Group C, after Denmark and Slovenia tied 1-1 hours earlier. England and Denmark will meet on Thursday.
In a match that was far from brilliant, England went from better to worse. But it was enough to subdue a Serbia that had a forgettable first half.
Serbians (6) and English (5) combined to execute 11 shots, the fewest in a Euro Cup match since 1980.
Bellingham was the star of the match, becoming the first European player to appear in three major international tournaments before turning 21 — he is 20 years and 353 days old. He can also boast goals in both a World Cup and a European Championship.
Source: AP
