If England tempered lofty expectations as a favourite for Euro 2024 with a nervy and unconvincing 1-0 win over Serbia, the Three Lions will hope to make a firmer statement when they clash with Denmark on Thursday and build on their Group C lead.
Marauding midfielder Jude Bellingham’s first-half brilliance was the one major bright spot in a tournament opener that likely sent Gareth Southgate back to the drawing board as he continues to figure out how to make all his talented pieces fit.
“This team is still coming together,” Southgate said on Saturday.
“Everybody’s expecting us to waltz through. There’s a lot of hard work ahead,” he added.
Denmark can exact some revenge against England, which edged it 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2020 European Championship.
The Danes drew 1-1 with Slovenia in their opener on Saturday, an afternoon flushed with emotion at the return to the Euros of midfielder Christian Eriksen. Three years after he suffered a cardiac arrest during play at the last tournament, Eriksen scored the Danes’ lone goal.
He was the only Danish player to maintain his level throughout the game, however, and they conceded an equalizer in a disappointing result.
Denmark has tasted glory on the international stage, winning the 1992 European Championship -- an accomplishment that has eluded England in its 10 previous appearances. Its loss to Italy in the 2020 final was the Three Lions’ best result.
Christian Eriksen of Denmark celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during EURO 2024 match against Slovenia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
On the heels of his outstanding season at Real Madrid, the 20-year-old Bellingham showed on Sunday that he is ready to shoulder the heavy England expectations, joining fellow Englishman Michael Owen as the only players to score at both a European Championship and a World Cup before the age of 21.
Manager Gareth Southgate was delighted with the player’s impact.
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“He writes his own script,” he said. “The timing of his runs, it was a super bit of play in the buildup to the goal as well. I think all of our forward players looked really good. I am confident we will score goals.”
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was pressed into action with a late leaping save to preserve the win, as England have gone five consecutive Euro group stage matches without conceding a goal, stretching back to the 2016 game against Wales.
England had to fend off an attacking Serbia in the second half on Saturday, and Southgate saw the positives of his patched-up back line being tested.
“I’m pleased that we had to show a different side, we had to show that resilience to defend our box because I think as a group that really builds a huge spirit,” Southgate said.
In Southgate’s debrief, he will have undoubtedly looked at the lack of production from defender Kieran Tripper and midfielder Phil Foden on the left side, particularly after Foden’s breakout season with Manchester City.
England was fortunate to open the tournament with a victory, but it did not entirely feel like one -- it has the chance to ramp up the feelgood factor against Denmark.
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