England Kick Off Euro 2024 with 1-0 Win Over Serbia

England kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Serbia on Sunday, thanks to a first-half header from Jude Bellingham.

The Real Madrid star put Gareth Southgate's team ahead in the 13th minute at the Veltins Arena, stooping to meet Bukayo Saka's cross and guiding it past Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

The buildup to the game had been overshadowed by concerns about violence between rival supporters, and those fears were realized when police rushed to separate brawling fans in Gelsenkirchen earlier in the day. Social media footage showed men throwing chairs at each other outside a restaurant festooned with Serbian flags in the city.

Once the game got underway, however, England fans were soon celebrating after Bellingham's early goal.

"It's a great start for me personally to get my confidence up and to help the lads get the win is the most important thing," Bellingham said.

Harry Kane so nearly extended the lead in the second half when Rajkovic pushed his far post header onto the underside of the bar. Kane set a record for his country by making his 23rd appearance at a major tournament.

"It's a tough game. They are a tough team and have good players," the England captain said. "We stood up to it well and it is good to get the three points and (for us) to progress. It's good that we got the win today."

Victory sent England to the top of Group C after Denmark drew 1-1 with Slovenia in an earlier game, with Christian Eriksen scoring three years after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field at the last Euros. England plays Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.

England was a beaten finalist at the last Euros, losing on penalties to Italy in the final three years ago. It is one of the favorites this time around. Serbia is playing in the Euros for the first time since 2000.

Tags: #Euro2024, #England, #Serbia, #JudeBellingham, #GarethSouthgate