The 2024 UEFA Euro Cup blazed on Sunday as England opened its title bid against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
England rolled into the Euros having logged the most collective minutes of any team in the tournament this past season, but it didn’t look fatigued in the slightest. Jude Bellingham got the ball rolling with a goal in the 13th minute to tick momentum in England’s direction.
Bellingham’s goal went down as the decider, giving England three points and a spot atop the Group C standings.
Here are the top moments
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4:57 AM ET – Stopped it!
82′: England 1, Serbia 0
England fans are thanking their lucky stars for Jordan Pickford, who launched into the air like a kangaroo to stop a rocket shot in the 82nd minute.
4:54 AM ET – Off the crossbar
77′: England 1, Serbia 0
It looked just like England’s first scoring play did. Everything, that is, up until the finish. An amazing cross set up Harry Kane for what looked to be an easy header, but Kane’s shot ricocheted just high, smashing into the crossbar and back out onto the field.
And on the slow-motion second look, Kane’s apparent mishit was in fact a miraculous save by Serbia goalie Pedrag Rajković.
4:39 AM ET – Unable to capitalize
65′: England 1, Serbia 0
Close, but not close enough. Serbia’s offense was humming to open the second frame, but each scoring attempt was snuffed out by The Three Lions.
4:35 AM ET – Too much heat
59′: England 1, Serbia 0
Serbia was not going to be an easy out for The Three Lions, and the Eagles put together a pair of stellar attacking ploys to test Jordan Pickford. The team was irate after a penalty was not called on Aleksandar Mitrović’s shot attempt. What say you? Should it have been called?
4:32 AM ET – From long distance
56′: England 1, Serbia 0
He’s technically a defenseman, but Trent Alexander-Arnold’s skill set is about as complete as they come. And you can see why his manager deploys him in the midfield after a shot like this one.
4:27 AM ET – One band, one sound
41′: England 1, Serbia 0
England is hard enough to beat, but when its fans rally like this in unison, it makes the country nearly unstoppable on the pitch.
4:15 AM ET – Put the moves on
37′: England 1, Serbia 0
Bukayo Saka is good for at least one of these riveting body fakes each match. The shake-and-bake helped him get past his defender, but Saka wasn’t able to net a goal from it.
4:14 AM ET – Reroute it
25′: England 1, Serbia 0
The Three Lions were not satisfied with just one first-half goal, as Kyle Walker turned on the jets to fly past the defense and open up a one-on-one chance with the goalie. But he lost his moxie when it came time to fire and misplaced a ball on what looked to be a pass attempt.
4:13 AM ET – Checking shoulders
24′: England 1, Serbia 0
Serbia’s Filip Kostić said “Hey Jude!” (at least we hope he did) after Jude Bellingham hit him with this powerful shoulder check. The short dust-up perfectly reflects the intensity of the moment.
4:11 AM ET – By a hair
20′: England 1, Serbia 0
Serbia likes to play wide, and it likes to play fast. Its aggressive offensive approach put it in enemy territory with multiple attackers in plus position. Aleksandar Mitrović freed himself for an attempt on this push, but his attempt just slid past the outside of the right goalpost.
3:42 AM ET – Striking early!
13′: England 1, Serbia 0
Jude Bellingham was playing with what they call “pizzazz” to open the match. He froze a Serbian defender early with this nifty move before rising up for a flying header in the 13th minute to give England a 1-0 lead. Bukayo Saka found Bellingham on a perfectly placed cross to free him up for the score.
