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 11:42 · Mike Jones]

How England’s missing Euro 2024 ingredient was highlighted by a most unexpected source

It perhaps says a lot about England’s performance that, other than Jude Bellingham’s goal, one of the most noteworthy elements of the night was a comment by the Manchester United manager. Erik ten Hag was a pundit on Dutch television and came out with a fairly stark assessment of the 1-0 win over Serbia.

“It’s the vision of the manager,” Ten Hag said. “England will take a 1-0 lead, then he decides to start gambling with making his team compact and relying on moments for the remaining minutes of the game.”

There is a lot going on here, and a lot of context. Above anything, Ten Hag knows that United’s Ineos hierarchy see Gareth Southgate as his potential successor. That could even have been this summer.

[17 June 2024 11:34 · Mike Jones]

Southgate explains need for leadership group

“I want the opinions of the four boys but also they’re involved with different age groups in the squad, so they’ll be able to pick up with different areas of the squad,” Southgate said when asked about setting up a leadership group for England.

“We’ve got 26. It’s not easy to keep track of how everyone is every day. You want to open up that dialogue.

“Sometimes with younger players, they’re going to be a little bit more reluctant to approach the head coach and talk about what they’re thinking, so you want a sense check of what’s going on on the ground.

“Those boys are leaders, the squad has taken on a younger dynamic so it’s important they start to embrace more responsibility in those areas.

“It shouldn’t just be for the older players to lead, a lot of our younger players have a lot of caps and a lot of big-match experience. I could have put more into the group but I think four’s enough. We’ll meet regularly and feed back on everything, basically.”

[17 June 2024 11:26 · Mike Jones]

Gareth Southgate names England squad’s four-man ‘leadership group’ at Euro 2024

Gareth Southgate has revealed young star Jude Bellingham is part of England’s new-look leadership group at Euro 2024.

“I think we have a very open relationship with all of the players,” Southgate said in Gelsenkirchen. “We have actually put a small leadership group together for this tournament now with Harry [Kane], Kyle Walker, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham because there’s a different dynamic to this group.

“There’s a lot of younger players and I want to make sure that the voices of the younger players, I am in touch with that as well.

“So, I don’t want to leave here with any stone unturned. I don’t want to have missed anything. It’s always important to know what the players are thinking.

“They have good views, they have good experiences and, also, there will be some decisions I will take without talking to any of them.”

[17 June 2024 11:20 · Mike Jones]

England fans launch beer as Jude Bellingham scores vs Serbia

Watch as England fans at Boxpark celebrate their opening goal at Euro 2024.

Jude Bellingham’s brilliant first-half header saw the Three Lions start their quest for glory with a hard-fought victory against Serbia.

England flew out the blocks at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and looked ready to put in a statement performance after their star man powerfully headed home Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross in the 13th minute.

That moment sparked scenes of jubilation back home where supporters who had gathered in a Boxpark venue were seen launching their drinks in the air.

While England started well, Serbia’s physicality and nous saw them fight back after the break to make it a nervy finish.

[17 June 2024 11:13 · Mike Jones]

Calm and commanding Marc Guehi steps up for England to solve a problem position

As Gareth Southgate did the rounds of the England players at full time on a nervy evening in Gelsenkirchen, he eventually found his way to Marc Guehi.

The England manager pulled Guehi towards him and leant into his ear in pride: The performance from his centre back had more than validated Southgate’s faith as England held on to a 1-0 win over Serbia and get their Euro 2024 up and running.

There will be concern that England lost their way and showed unsettling similar signs of some of their previous disappointments at major tournaments under Southgate, allowing Serbia to slowly creep into the game, but Guehi’s display alongside John Stones in defence was a major positive of the evening.

Without one of their Southgate stalwarts in Harry Maguire, the Crystal Palace centre back may have solved a problem position.

[17 June 2024 11:06 · Mike Jones]

England vs Serbia match stats

Here’s a look at the stats from yesterday’s match. England were the better side by most metrics having more possession, more touches in the box and, obviously, scoring more goals.

[17 June 2024 11:00 · Mike Jones]

Seven Serbia fans arrested after violent mass brawl ahead of Euro 2024 opener with England

Seven people were arrested after clashes broke out between fans of rival teams England and Serbia just hours before the teams’ opening game.

The first weekend of Euro 2024 was marred by violence after fans were left bloodied as tables were thrown and glasses smashed during the carnage outside the Aleppo bar in the city of Gelsenkirchen.

One football supporter was pictured with blood streaming down his face.

A Gelsenkirchen police spokesman told the BBC seven Serbian citizens were taken into custody.

[17 June 2024 10:50 · Mike Jones]

Hooligans are back and the two faces of the English football fan are already on full display at Euro 2024

How do you write about travelling England football fans, when each one you meet is polite and thoughtful, but you are already reading about clashes with foreign supporters on the day of the first England match? It is not easy to reconcile the two scenarios.

It is also worth noting that, according to German police on Sunday, only Serbian fans were arrested after an incident between their supporters and England’s in Gelsenkirchen. There is nothing to suggest that the English were responsible in that situation; seven Serbs were taken into custody, and one was accused of causing grievous bodily harm, leading to an ongoing investigation.

While the score in the Euro 2024 Group C game would end up 1-0 to England, they trailed heavily in the arrests column. Not that that’s something to actually celebrate, of course.

[17 June 2024 10:42 · Mike Jones]

‘Bellingham one of the best in the world’

Serbia captain Aleksandar Mitrovic labelled Jude Bellingham one of the best players in the world following England’s 1-0 win yesterday.

Here he is giving his reaction to the match:

[17 June 2024 10:36 · Mike Jones]

Harry Kane reveals impact of trophy drought on England’s Euro 2024 chances

Harry Kane believes he has a different kind of aura after his prolific first season at Bayern Munich but said his inability to win his first trophy of his career gives him still more hunger to triumph in Euro 2024.

The England captain scored 44 goals in 45 appearances in his debut season for Bayern, earning the European Golden Shoe for finding the net 36 times in the Bundesliga.

And he feels he has got more respect now as a player who has flourished at one of the biggest clubs around, rather than just as the local boy who scored for Tottenham.