Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest news and reaction after Jude Bellingham gives England win over Serbia

The Three Lions opened their campaign with a 1-0 triumph to move to the top of Group C

Jude Bellingham explains 'wolf' celebration against Serbia

England kicked off their Euro 2024 tournament with a 1-0 victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening. Jude Bellingham started then finished a flowing move in the 12th minute to head the Three Lions into the lead and they saw out the rest of the game despite constant pressure from their opponents.

That victory moved them to the top of Group following an earlier draw between Denmark and Slovenia with the focus now switching to the match against the Danes on Thursday. A second win there and England will be through to the knockout rounds with one game to spare.

Gareth Southgate was pleased with the result and admitted that his team will benefit from the defensive test Serbia put them through, especially in the second half. He said: “That’s the reality of tournaments, they’re a strong team. We had to suffer a bit, which I think is really good for us, to come through and defend our box the way we did. The pressure was important for the group.”

Follow all the latest reaction and updates from Euro 2024 below:

England vs Serbia reaction LIVE

• England defeated Serbia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 opener
• Jude Bellingham is Gareth Southgate’s cheat code but other issues stifle England
• England need to conserve energy after beating Serbia in Euros opener, says Southgate
• German efficiency? Euro 2024 trains are a shambles - and fans are paying the price
• Harry Kane hails ‘unbelievable’ Jude Bellingham after England edge out Serbia

[17 June 2024 12:52 · Mike Jones]

Why Wout Weghorst is the ‘English’ contradiction at the heart of the Netherlands team

Ronald Koeman knows what it is like to win a European Championship in Germany. He did so under Rinus Michels, the godfather of Total Football. He won a Champions League under the other architect of the Dutch footballing philosophy, Johan Cruyff. And he won his first European Championship match as a manager thanks to a big, old-fashioned No 9 he threw on. Wout Weghorst is scarcely the heir to Cruyff, the man who was nominally the Netherlands’ centre forward when they reached the final of the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.

But, half a century on, he showed there are different ways of prospering. His goal stemmed from the anticipation of an opening and a smooth finish, rather than brute force, but Koeman underlined his appreciation of the earthier merits Weghorst brings. “Wout is aggressive, he always takes initiative and is a good header as well,” he said. “He has one chance and finds the net.”

[17 June 2024 12:45 · Mike Jones]

Kylian Mbappe’s glittering career is full of European heartbreak - will Euro 2024 change that?

The day Kylian Mbappe was announced as France captain was in March 2023. The night he earned the armband, however, may have come three months earlier, on a different continent, with the World Cup at stake. Mbappe can appear as a languid figure, sleekly strolling around the pitch before gliding through the gears and reaching speeds few can rival. Yet there is video footage of Mbappe the motivator, galvanising France after a no-show performance in the first half in Lusail.

“It’s the match of a lifetime,” he said. “We can’t do worse than we did.” Mbappe certainly succeeded in galvanising himself. The match of his lifetime proved one no one else has ever had in their lifetime, either. He emulated Geoff Hurst by scoring a World Cup final hat-trick. He found the net four times, however, in the respect that he also struck in the resulting penalty shootout. France still lost. Mbappe may have the bittersweet distinction of producing the greatest performance in a World Cup final defeat.

[17 June 2024 12:37 · Mike Jones]

‘Each game will be different’ says Kane

“Each game will be different. I played a little bit higher because they like to defend man-for-man.” said Harry Kaen when discussing England’s tactics against Serbia.

“I wanted to keep them deep so Phil [Foden], Jude [Bellingham] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] can play in the pocket. Each game will be different, sometimes I will drop in and others I will stay higher up.

“This game was all about holding the ball up and winning fouls to close the game out.”

[17 June 2024 12:30 · Mike Jones]

Jude Bellingham ‘writes his own script’ as he lifts England to opening win

Gareth Southgate said star midfielder Jude Bellingham “writes his own script” after helping England make a winning start to Euro 2024 against Serbia.

The 20-year-old scored a brilliant header inside 13 minutes of their Group C opener as the road to Berlin got off to a dream start at a rocking Veltins Arena.

But what could have been a statement victory instead turned into a slog against physical Serbia, who pushed England hard but could not find a leveller as Sunday’s clash ended 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen.

[17 June 2024 12:22 · Mike Jones]

England have ‘hard work ahead’ after win over Serbia, says Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate said star midfielder Jude Bellingham “writes his own script” after helping England make a winning start to Euro 2024 against Serbia.

The 20-year-old scored a brilliant header inside 13 minutes of their Group C opener as the road to final got off to a dream start at a rocking Veltins Arena.

But what could have been a statement victory instead turned into a slog against physical Serbia, who pushed England hard but could not find a leveller as Sunday’s clash ended 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen.

“This team is still coming together, everybody is expecting us to waltz through,” Southgate said, “There is a lot of hard work ahead.”

[17 June 2024 12:15 · Mike Jones]

Beatles fan Jude Bellingham delighted by England fans’ rendition of ‘Hey Jude’

Jude Bellingham said being serenaded by England fans with The Beatles’ “Hey Jude!” was music to his ears after the midfielder’s early header gave his side a 1-0 win over Serbia in their Euro 2024 Group C opener on Sunday.

The 20-year-old was named Player of the Match after setting the tempo for much of England’s attacking play and was cheered to the rafters by their fans at the cavernous Arena AufSchalke.

[17 June 2024 12:08 · Mike Jones]

Jude Bellingham explains ‘wolf’ celebration against Serbia

Jude Bellingham has explained the “wolf” celebration he and Trent Alexander-Arnold debuted against Serbia.

The Three Lions secured a hard-fought 1-0 win in their Euro 2024 opener on Sunday night (16 June), thanks to Bellingham’s brilliant first-half header.

Speaking at full-time, he explained why he and Alexander-Arnold dropped to one knee, bowed their heads and covered their faces to celebrate.

“The celebration was from a game we play called ‘Wolf’ and one of the staff always holds his face like that when he doesn’t know what’s going on,” Bellingham said.

“So it was more a celebration for the backroom staff who put in so much work every day and won’t receive any awards... or get to have the moments we get to have on the pitch.”

[17 June 2024 12:01 · Mike Jones]

England’s potential route to Euro 2024 final

If England finish runner-up in group

Last-16: June 29 - England vs Winner of Group A (likely Germany)

Quarter-finals: July 5 - England vs Winner of third R16 match (likely winner of Group B - possibly Spain, Italy or Croatia)

Semi-finals: July 9 - England vs Winner of second quarter-final (possibly Portugal or Netherlands)

Final: July 14 - England vs Winner of second semi-final (possibly France or Belgium)

[17 June 2024 11:55 · Mike Jones]

England’s potential route to Euro 2024 final

If England finish top of group

Last-16: June 30 - England vs Third-placed team from Group D, E or F

Quarter-finals: July 6 - England vs Runner-up of Group A (Germany/Hungary/Scotland/Switzerland) or runner-up of Group B (Spain/Albania/Croatia/Italy)

Semi-finals: July 10 - England vs Winner of third quarter-final (possibly France or Belgium)

Final: July 14 - England vs Winner of first semi-final (possibly Germany, Spain or Portugal)

[17 June 2024 11:49 · Mike Jones]

England’s potential route to Euro 2024 final

Group C fixtures

Match 1

June 16 - Serbia 0-1 England (Gelsenkirchen)

Match 2

June 20 - Denmark vs England (Frankfurt)

Match 3

June 25 - England vs Slovenia (Cologne)