England head coach Gareth Southgate showered praise on Jude Bellingham after their 1-0 win against Serbia in their Group C Euro 2024 opener on Sunday. Bellingham, Champions League winner with Real Madrid, scored the only goal of the match in the 13th minute with the header.
Meanwhile, England came close to doubling the lead as Harry Kane’s header hit the crossbar after Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic got his fingertips on the ball.
Bellingham was awarded UEFA Player of the Match for his fine display against Serbia.
Southgate said after the win, “He writes his own scripts doesn’t he?
“The timing of his runs. It was a super bit of play in the buildup to the goal as well. I thought at different moments, all of our forward players looked dangerous and did a really good job for the team.”
Southgate admitted that the Three Lions are yet to find their A-game on the pitch and there are still some areas to work on.
“This team is still coming together,” Southgate said. “Everyone is expecting us to waltz through, but there is a lot of hard work ahead. We’re short of certain things. We’re finding best possible solutions.
“We’ve had a very complicated run-in to all of this [due to injuries], but the spirit of the group was there for everybody to see tonight and we’ll definitely grow from that.”
Bellingham, on the other hand, gave his gratitude to his family, friends, and teammates for helping him get the best out of himself.
“Jude Bellingham is made up of amazing people, really,” he said. “It’s not just me who turns up and enjoys it like I do and just plays football, it’s because I have such a great support network. My family, my friends, my teammates. Playing football is the easiest part.”
Southgate admitted his team dropped their level in the second half against Serbia.
“We had to suffer a bit, which I think is really good for us,” Southgate said. “Second half we didn’t keep it as well as I would have liked, but to get the win is very important.”
England will next take on Denmark on Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Park.
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