Serbia vs England Highlights, EURO 2024: SRB 0-1 ENG, Bellingham scores winner to secure three points

Bellingham’s goal proves to be the winner as England start Euro 2024 on a winning note and with a clean sheet.

Serbia keeps knocking on the door for a goal, with wide passes and failed crosses. England has seven white shirts stationed in the box, who get the ball out of danger.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic gets the ball in the midfield and decides to go for a spectacular with a right-footed hit, which drifts past the goal.

The linesman raises the digital board to indicate the substitution of Jude Bellingham and the crowd is on its feet . A standing ovation for the goalscorer as Kobbie Mainoo, who scored the FA Cup winner for Manchester United, replaces him.

Serbia looks desperate to find the elusive equaliser. Tadic sends the ball into the box, which, after a failed clearance, falls to Vlahovic, who shoots on target, Pickford makes a reflex save to deny a certain goal. Birmancevic tries a shot after the corner is headed out and Kane makes a good block then.

Bowen, unlike expectations, marches up the pitch along the right flank and crosses for Kane in the centre. The England captain gets a head to it but Rajkevic meets it with equal quality to make a fingertip save.

England replaces Saka with Bowen in the final quarter of the game, in another attempt to bake the defence more astute. Southgate would feel the job is almost done.

Serbia looks to try and find the late equaliser as it replaces Veljkp Birmancevic with Andrija Zivkovic.

Harry Kane tries to control the ball but is pushed down by Ilic to give England a free-kick. Foden takes the free-kick, which reaches Saka, who then tries to set up Rice on his left. But his header is saved by Rajkovic. 

Southgate replaces Alexander Arnold with Conor Gallagher, which would mean England might stick to its stance of trying to defend the slender lead.

Tadic tries to use the central space wonderfully with a through ball for Jovic, who fails to get his foot on the ball, which is then stopped by Pickford.

In: Dusan Tadic, Luka Jovic
Out: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sasa Lukic

Serbia attacks against the run of play and Vlahovic’s cross from the left finds Mladenovic, who tries to set up Mitrovic in the box. Mitrovic goes down appealing for a penalty in what looked like a push by Trippier from the back. But the referee does not give a penalty.

Alexander-Arnold gets the ball in the middle of the park and he tries to for the spectacular, which is saved by Rajkovic. Seconds later, Bellingham goes down in the box, appealing for a penalty but the referee is not interested. 

Vlahovic crosses the ball past Saka as Mladenovic misses a tap-in opportunity. As England panics in defence, Mitrovic gets the ball but his flick, without much pace, is handled comfortably by Pickford.

England is looking to drag the opponent into its own box with back passes, trying to start a counter attack. But Pickford, getting the pass, shoots it out as Mitrovic can only watch the ball go out.

Mladenovic gets the ball in the midfield and almost goes the distance, carrying the ball. But two white shirts stop his pass at the edge of the box.

Saka and Bellingham combine to get the ball up the pitch, with the latter getting the ball to Kane. However, the play ends with the ball hitting referee Orsato.

Slovenia gets the ball rolling in the second half as it looks to gain control in the match. It replaced Gudlej with Ilic, who plays for Torino in Serie A.

Jude Bellingham’s exploits in the air sees England draw first blood and stay ahead at the half-way mark in Germany. 

Serbia is forced to make a change as Fiip Kostic goes off the field due to some injury while Filip Mladenovic replaces him.

Bellingham tries to pass the ball but almost runs into Gudelj and goes to the groud, appealing for a foul. Though the replay hints at potential diving by the Real Madrid player, the referee gives a foul in favour of England and gives Gudelj a yellow card.

Saka carries the ball into the final third, crosses to his left for Kane and Foden, the latter of whom had just run into the box but the ball fails to reach any of them.

Serbia try to attack along the left, with Kostic and Pavlovic combing. Pavlovic passes to Kostic, who tries to cross to the centre but Bellingham clears the ball away. What a game he is having!

England has looked to have built its entire attack around Bellingham. However, its captain, Harry Kane, has looked quite silent. 

Alexander-Arnold takes the free-kick, which hits the wall and Serbia eventually clears it.

England’s flair of aggressive attacks has transgressed into a slower style to absorb the pressure and it looks for gaps in the midfield. Alexander-Arnold gets the ball in front of the box but is fouled to give a free-kick in front of the 18-yard box.

England starts an attack on the counter, with Saka setting up Walker on the right. He keeps going and then tries to cross on his left. But neither Foden or Kane react no time as the ball rolls out of play. A tap-in here could have doubled England’s lead.

A defensive error by Alexander-Arnold sees the ball get to Mitrovic, who sets the ball with his first touch and then shoots with his right foot, which flies just wide off target.

Vlahovic tries to get the ball off Bellingham with a rash challenge and pushes him down with an elbow. Bellingham, however, releases the ball to Foden, who tries to set up Alexander-Arnold. However, the Liverpool player shoots off-target.

England fans have found a voice, which looked stuck for the first few minutes of goalless action. But now the fans and the team looks more active, with more forward passes, which are cheered on by the thousands of fans of the Three Lions in Germany.

Bellingham has now scored or assisted 40 goals for club and country this season. Harry Kane (58) is the only England player with more

It took 13 minutes for Bellingham to get the scoreboard ticking. And the UEFA Champions League winner now has the entire set of English fans sing “Hey Jude!”

Walker sets up Saka along the right flank, who crosses to the centre. It misses Kane but Bellingham comes flying in, outjumps a defender to head the ball into the net.

Bellingham gets the ball in the midfield but he loses the battle for the ball to Lukic, who pulls him down for a free-kick. Trippier takes free-kick, which is sent in by Walker for Rice but the referee blows the whistle for a foul by Stones in the Serbian box.

This is the first time Serbia is playing England as an independent country. All their previous clashes have been either as part of Yugoslavia or Serbia and Montenegro.

Serbia tries to attack through crosses on the end as Kostic crosses from the left but there is no one to receive it on time.

England is dominating possession early on in the game. England almost gets a chance wen Bellingham passes Foden in front of goal. But he fails to take a shot.

England gets a free-kick when Savic fouls Saka along the right flank, which is also the first foul of the game. Alexander-Arnold takes the free-kick, which is headed out by Milinkovic-Savic. 

England makes early forays into the final third but Saka looks up to realise the opponent has red shirts in numbers in the box and gets the ball back to maintain possession.

England gets the ball rolling from right to left, with a 4-2-3-1 formation while Serbia, in red, starts from the other end in a 3-5-1-1 shape.

The players of both teams walk out of the tunnel to queue up for the National Anthems. Shortly after it, both take positions for kick-off. The stage, is set!

England and Serbian payers warm-up with passing routines and Rondos as Southgate watches on, in what promises to be a mouth-watering clash.

V. Milinkovic-Savic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Lukic, Kostic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic

England - Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane

Serbia (3-4-2-1): V. Milinkovic-Savic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Kostic; S. Milinkovic-Savic, Tadic; Mitrovic

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Mainoo, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane

England faces the first test of its credentials as one of the Euro 2024 favourites when it launches its campaign against Serbia on Sunday, with injuries and illness adding to worries about an already depleted defence.

Coach Gareth Southgate - under pressure to win the first major men’s trophy since 1966 - must decide whether to risk centre half John Stones, who has only just overcome an injury and was isolated from the squad this week with a virus.

Left back Luke Shaw looks is set to miss the Group C opener in Gelsenkirchen as he recovers from a hamstring problem suffered in February.

Despite losing its final warm-up game 1-0 at home to Iceland a week ago, England boast one of the most potent attacks in Germany.