(Gelsenkirchen) Jude Bellingham allowed England to get off to a good start and eventually win 1-0 against Serbia on Sunday at the Euro.
The Real Madrid star put his national team ahead when he headed home a cross from Bukayo Saka in the 13th minute.
Harry Kane came close to extending England’s lead in the second half, but Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic pushed the ball against the horizontal bar.
Kane set a record for his country by making a 23rd career appearance at a major tournament.
The victory took England to the top of Group C, following Denmark’s draw with Slovenia. She will face Denmark on Thursday.
During the last Euro, the English team lost on penalties to Italy in the final of the tournament. Serbia is participating in the European Championship for the first time since 2000.
Wout Weghorst likes to play the hero as a reserve and that’s what he did, scoring late in the match to give the Netherlands a 2-1 victory over Poland.
The giant-sized forward scored with a low left-footed strike in the 83rd minute on his first touch after replacing Memphis Depay, who had wasted several scoring chances.
Poland was without its star Robert Lewandowski, injured. His replacement, however, scored a goal. Adam Buksa used every one of his 191 centimeters to score with a header even though he was surrounded by four rivals in the 16th minute.
Cody Gakpo responded in the 29th minute for the Netherlands, however, when his shot deflected before surprising goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. It was a fitting reward for the Dutch, who had dominated the half.
Around 50,000 Dutch fans made the short trip to Hamburg to watch the match.
German police said they shot and wounded a man who threatened them with an ax and a firebomb in an area of the city center, near where several supporters had gathered. A police spokesperson said there was no initial indication the incident was linked to Euro 2024.
Christan Eriksen will have better memories of his opening match at the Euro this time.
The midfielder scored the first goal of the match for Denmark, who drew 1-1 with Slovenia on Sunday in Stuttgart. Eriksen was playing his first match at the Euro since his heart attack during Denmark’s opening match during the previous edition in 2021.
This time, Eriksen brilliantly found the opening in the corner of the net during the 17th minute of play.
Erik Janza tied the game for Slovenia in the 77th minute with a shot that deflected before going beyond the reach of Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Exactly 1,100 days had passed since Eriksen collapsed on the pitch at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen during a match between Denmark and Finland. In a worrying scene, attendants tried to resuscitate him before transporting him on a stretcher.
Eriksen started playing soccer again in 2022 and has a defibrillator. Now aged 32, he is still a vital member of the Danish line-up.
Denmark reached the semi-finals at Euro 2020, which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.