England beat Serbia 1-0 after early goal from Jude Bellingham in tense first round Euro 2024 clash

16 June 2024, 21:54 | Updated: 16 June 2024, 22:33

England has beaten Serbia 1-0 in a tense opening Euro 2024 clash.

Gareth Southgate's side had Jude Bellingham to thank after he scored the only goal of the match from the six yards.

The goal was set up by a cross from Bukayo Saka from the right wing, with Saka finding the back of the net moments later.

Serbia came close to equalising a number of times, but it was cries of 'Hey Jude' that echoed around the stands of the Gelsenkirchen Stadium.

The 20-year-old's goal came just weeks after he lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid.

It comes as thousands of England fans descended on the city ahead of the national side's opening game against Serbia at on Sunday night.

It comes as German police said they arrested seven Serbian fans ahead of the game.

England went into the tournament as one of the favourites, despite losing their last warm-up game to Iceland on Friday.

The match was pushed into overtime after four additional minutes were added to the clock.

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Kyle Walker's 25th minute near miss could have put England 2-0 up after a dominant first half, despite Serbia star Aleksandar Mitrovic's shot going yards wide in the 20th minute.

It was the second half which saw Serbia pose a greater threat, with multiple missed opportunities.

A header from Harry Kane almost made it 2-0 in the second, flying in during the 77th minute.

However despite England's best efforts, a second goal remained illusive, with the final whistle ensuring the team tops the Group C table.

The result followed Denmark and Slovenia's 1-1 draw earlier in the tourniament.

The Three Lions now have Denmark to contend with as they line up their second win on Thursday, followed by Slovenia on June 26.