Jude Bellingham got England’s Euro 2024 campaign under way – but they must not rely on him

Hey Jude. He took that sad song and he made it better. It may have only been an opening group game and there may be a long and winding road still to go if England are to reach the final of the European Championship in Berlin on July 14. But do not under-estimate the importance of this performance from Jude Bellingham. He made the first-half against Serbia his own – it is hard to recall a contribution so dominant from an England midfielder – and he helped force his country over the line.

There were worries, there were serious concerns, they were hanging on at times, they struggled by the end, it was not wholly convincing and there needs to be more than this if England are to go all the way. Fitness seems a real issue as we and Southgate feared. But Bellingham did his bit. And more. And yet, they cannot just rely on him.

But, with it, England suddenly command Group C. The score draw earlier between Denmark and Slovenia played into their hands as they go two points clear at the top after the first round of fixtures. It also means that for only the second time in 10 attempts England have won their opening game at a European Championship. The only other occasion was in the last tournament – also under Gareth Southgate. And that was at Wembley. They have never done it overseas. So, consider that in the analysis.

Bellingham stood out. But he was not completely alone. Jordan Pickford made a superb save to deny Dusan Vlahovic, Marc Guehi was assured, Declan Rice industrious, Bukayo Saka a threat and Harry Kane took one for the team. The striker played up top, tried not to drop deep and suffered a buffeting – although he also barely touched the ball. Still, he almost scored with his header pushed over Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic in an even more impressive save than the one executed by Pickford.

And then there was Bellingham. The eve-of-tournament advert from Adidas has caused debate. Its focus? Bellingham. Its soundtrack? Hey Jude. Its strapline? You got this. Surely, then, too much pressure to heap on the shoulders of a kid, albeit a Champions League winner, albeit Real Madrid’s most vital player, albeit a £100million plus superstar. And matchwinner. He had this.

Pressure? Bring it on. The boos rang out inside 13 minutes. Except they were not boos. It was “Jude” resounding deeply, joyously from the England fans. Bellingham scored. Not just scored but started the move and then showed the absolute desire to throw himself to meet Saka’s deflected cross and thump a header high into the net. It was not just any header, either. It was unstoppable. A bit like Bellingham himself. And it was clocked at 61km (31.9miles) per hour. It was such a Bellingham goal as, again, as in Qatar, he scored for England first in a tournament. In doing so the midfielder became only the second England player, after Michael Owen, to score at a World Cup and Euros before turning 21.

The Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic had even said his team had worked hard on trying to nullify Bellingham’s threat. But, like a force of nature, he would not be denied.

In the goal there was also a shrewd pass from Kyle Walker to release Saka and, deliciously, England had unpicked Serbia’s packed defence. It was five-at-the-back from them and an uncompromising determination to drop deep. They only completed 11 passes in the time before the goal with England’s share of possession touching an astonishing 90 per cent.

England shook off some late challenges. First on Saka, then Phil Foden, then Bellingham and then Bellingham again. The free-kick count totted up and, soon after scoring, Bellingham got a whack in the face from Vlahovic. But he had already inflicted the real damage.

It all seemed too good to be true, almost. A bit too perfect. This is tournament football and Serbia are dangerous and so it changed.

There was food for thought in the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment. For it is still an experiment to play him in midfield. There is the creativity and passing range. But does he have the awareness? There was a heavy touch as he faced his own goal and quickly it was latched onto with the Serbian captain Aleksandr Mitrovic flashing a shot narrowly wide from 20 yards.

Cue further debate. It could have been costly and although there is risk and reward from playing him in midfield that was an example of the risk.

Bellingham was not having it. He was riled and wanted a bit more sharpness from his team-mates as he took the contest to Serbia. There was even a chest bump against Filip Kostic – who had clattered Foden – just to let him know that he knew.

Maybe that was the kind of spiky, competitive, even belligerent edge that England have so often been accused of lacking over the years?

Serbia did not like that and they did not like how Bellingham was running the game, the swagger and confidence he exuded and so when he had the opportunity came the defender Nemanja Gudelj went in late on half-way and caught him hard.

England needed that second goal to settle it but it was not coming. Serbia sensed it and, worryingly, began to take over. Southgate sent his substitutes to warm up as England dropped deeper and, predictably, the first change was Conor Gallagher for Alexander-Arnold. He added energy but did not get the ball and England were running the risk with Pickford denying Vlahovic, Kane heading another goal-bound effort away and Mitrovic demanding a penalty that was rightly refused.

England were tilting towards empty and Serbia actually had more shots (six to five). In his debrief Southgate will have to look hard at the contributions of Kieran Trippier and Phil Foden – he should have come off – down the left and why his team retreated so much. But they have Bellingham, who went off, exhausted, and he made it better. The worry for England is can they really expect him to carry them on his shoulders?

England 1 Serbia 0 – as it happened

11:15 PM BST

Southgate criticism is valid, abuse not

Here are some of the more temperate takes:

10:41 PM BST

A couple of stats

10:31 PM BST

Matt Law’s verdict

10:28 PM BST

Gareth Southgate’s post-match interview

10:18 PM BST

Marc Guehi speaks to BBC 1

10:13 PM BST

Everyone loves player ratings

Or so we are led to believe …

Mike McGrath was the man with tonight’s honour:

Bukayo Saka and Marc Guehi shine in Euro 2024 victory.

10:11 PM BST

Referee verdict

We witnessed a good performance from the referee, who remained in control throughout. Those players that were sanctioned with a card can have no complaints.

10:10 PM BST

Man of the match Bellingham speaks to BBC 1

It was a good game, he says, against “a very tough side, robust, strong, a big group of lads. We prepared all week very well. We knew it was going to be a tight game but we have to try to keep to our standards and play what’s in front of us rather than the feel of the championship.”

“I wanted to carry my form into the Euros and it’s a great start to the competition. I’ve had to get used to [the fouls] since I first started at Birmingham but I haven’t always handled it well. I felt calm tonight and knew my team-mates had my back.”

He concludes by going meta third-person, saying Jude Bellingham isn’t one person, “it’s made up of amazing people”. It’s about a support network, family, friends, team-mates here and at my club who support him. “Playing football is the easiest part.”

10:04 PM BST

A win’s a win

10:03 PM BST

Harry Kane talks to BBC 1

09:59 PM BST

Law: Plenty to be pleased about

That was tougher than England would have liked, but they got over the line and there was plenty to be pleased about. There was also a very welcome clean sheet, given the fears over Southgate’s defence. England will need to improve to beat better teams, but they are top of Group C and that’s all that matters for now.

09:56 PM BST

Carra’s full-time verdict

After an encouraging start that turned into a satisfactory rather than excellent win for England. They ran out of steam as the game progressed. The positive was the first 30 minutes, but the system is a work in progress, especially where getting the most from Harry Kane is concerned.

09:55 PM BST

Full time: Serbia 0 England 1

England start with a win but after the first 25 minutes of poise and control, they fell way short of their highest standards and could easily have squandered their lead in the second half.

09:54 PM BST

90+3 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Bowen again makes the interception when Ilic knocks it back in the box and Kane ducks his head to get ahead of Pavlovic and earn a free-kick that England run into the corner.

09:53 PM BST

90+2 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Bowen, back on the cover, blocks Mladenovic’s cross but misplaces his pass when he stops Ilic’s shot so Serbia come back at England.

09:52 PM BST

90+1 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Gallagher cannily wins a pair of free-kicks to draw Serbia’s sting.

09:50 PM BST

90 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Four minutes of stoppage time are signalled.

09:49 PM BST

89 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Milinkovic-Savic sees space open up ahead of him and decides to bend a right-foot shot from the left of the D towards the top right but it doesn’t curl back in sufficiently and whistles past the angle of bar and post.

09:48 PM BST

87 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Rice is penalised for a foul on Tadic just inside the England half. When Mainoo goes up for a header the bouncing ball is picked up by Foden who dribbles 40 yards and runs into Veljkovic. England free-kick, from which they give the ball away… twice.

09:46 PM BST

85 min: Serbia 0 England 1

A Kane pass is intercepted and Serbia threaten a counter again until the referee stops play and gives England a free-kick.

Here comes an England sub but not sure the player coming off is the right one:

Mainoo ⇢ Bellingham

09:45 PM BST

83 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Pickford saves England’s bacon by tipping Vlahovic’s pile-driver from 18 yards after a cute turn to beat Walker. From the corner Birmamncevic tries a half-volley from the scraps on the 18-yard line, hits it into the turf and it spoons up powerfully towards goal. Kane holds his position in front of Pickford to head it away.

England are clinging on so I don’t understand why they haven’t turned to Gordon or Mainoo or Palmer.

09:41 PM BST

80 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Quite a scare when Trippier goes down given the paucity of talent in that position. Walker kicks the ball out so he can receive treatment and after an energy gel and some ballet stretches, he comes back on.

09:40 PM BST

78 min: Serbia 0 England 1

That’s terrible, a veritable hospital pass from Foden intended for Bowen is picked off by Pavlovic and Serbia pour forward but England also get back in numbers and the final Serbia pass is played at the wrong angle for Birmancevic.

09:38 PM BST

76 min: Serbia 0 England 1

And Bowen almost sets up a goal with his first run, beating Mladovic down the right before chipping the perfect back-post cross. Keane has made the right run and meets it with the full force of his brow. Tempted to shout ‘GOAL!’, instead we record that Rajkovic made a stunning point-blank save, slapping it on to the underside of the bar whence it bounces away from goal.

09:35 PM BST

74 min: Serbia 0 England 1

It’s been Serbia’s half so far but England are trying to draw their sting with some midfield flooding and short passing. It works until Bellingham is judged to have committed a foul. A minute later Tadic hangs a leg across Foden as the City forward dribbled forward and is booked.

Two subs:

Bowen ⇢ Saka

Birmancevic ⇢ Zivkovic.

09:32 PM BST

72 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Saka defends the corner at the far post. When England counter Saka sendfs over his best cross of the half to the back post and Rice heads it back across tamely and a deflection diverts it straight to Rajkovic.

09:30 PM BST

Carra: Bring on some pace

England needs some pace. I’d bring on Anthony Gordon before Cole Palmer just because of the extra pace.

09:29 PM BST

70 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Miskick from Rice concedes a corner.

Gallagher ⇢ Alexander-Arnold.

This armchair manager would have gone for Gordon’s pace, move Foden into 10 and Bellingham alongside Rice.

09:28 PM BST

68 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Rajkovic claws the corner away but England recycle and send Bellingham down the left who somewhat self-indulgently spins Ilic’s blood, beating him three times before hanging up a cross that Rajkovic gobbles up.

09:26 PM BST

66 min: Serbia 0 England 1

England corner with Gallagher stripped and poised to come on. Alexander-Arnold, whose initiative won the corner, will take.

09:25 PM BST

65 min: Serbia 0 England 1

England win a rally of head tennis in their box by virtue of Trippier but given there’s no one up front to hold the ball it comes back at them and Tadic diddles Trippier and almost slides in Jovic by the 18-yard line but it skips through to Pickford.

09:24 PM BST

63 min: Serbia 0 England 1

As Brian Clough would say, ‘Get in the box. That’s what I pay you for.’ England have no outlet for Alexander-Arnold’s long passes because Foden and Kane have gone wandering.

09:21 PM BST

61 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Double Serbia substitution:

Tadic ⇢ Lukic

Jovic ⇢ Mitrovic.

09:21 PM BST

60 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Foden throws his arms up in exasperation when the ball doesn’t come to him. Then Serbia break down the left with Mladenovic powering into the box down the left before squaring it for Mitrovic’s near-post run. Trippier runs across him and knocks him over as Pickford slides in to gather at the second attempt.. Mitrovic wants a penalty and there was a mild case for one but the referee shakes his head and does not refer it to VAR.

09:17 PM BST

57 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Saka and Alexander-Arnold combine down the right to get the better of Pavlovic and then the latter squares it for Bellingham by the right of the penalty spot but a Serbia toe saves the day for them. Bellingham goes down but the ref waves play on.

09:16 PM BST

55 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Shearer is saying it’s time for Kane to get forward instead of being on the hunt for the ball in deep areas.

Gareth Southgate has talked a lot about England’s fitness issues and I’m wondering if he needs to make a few substitutions because his team have not made a good start to this second half.

09:14 PM BST

53 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Serbia have changed their approach, snapping into Saka aggressively, winning the ball back and pushing their wing-backs high. England are not able to hang on to the ball for any sustained spells in this half. Foden is deep, on the left of a midfield three when England don’t have the ball with Bellingham pressing higher.

09:11 PM BST

51 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Pavlovic wins a tackle with Saka for the first time and Serbia, who are on the front foot now, try to get Lukic and Mlladovic running into the box. Rice again mops up.

09:10 PM BST

49 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Diligent defensive work by Rice, telescoping out his leg to nick the ball off Milenkovic-Savic after the playmaker beat Bellingham and shaped to shoot.

09:07 PM BST

47 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Mitrovic wants a free-kick for a sliding tackle by Bellingham but the referee plays advantage as Serbia are in a promising position. England win the wall back and give it to Kane for his third touch which is a pass to Saka that hits the referee. No fault of Kane, it was heading in the right direction.

09:06 PM BST

46 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Half-time change for Serbia:

Ilic ⇢ Gudelj.

The booking for clattering Bellingham must have influenced that change. Ilic plays for Torino with the younger Milinkovic-Savic.

09:03 PM BST

The movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey Jude ringing round Wembley Box Park and probably most of the country. Dominant half with some shaky spells near the end, but that’s done nothing to stifle the energy in this building. The cheers after Bellingham’s goal were deafening. More to do for Southgate’s team to send these fans home happy tonight

09:01 PM BST

Jamie Carragher: Kane worries

Great start, but there are a couple of worries. Harry Kane is adopting the same role as Erling Haaland role for Manchester City – not involved outside the box and waiting for a chance. He has only touched the ball twice in 45 minutes. That’s not Kane’s game.

Defensively, England must stop Serbia getting crosses in. They are doing that too easily and it is their best chance of scoring

08:58 PM BST

Matt Law’s half-time verdict

08:51 PM BST

Half-time: Serbia 0 England 1

England bossed the first 25 minutes, playing with poise, confidence and excellent positional rotation. But they only scored once with all that dominance and Serbia have threatened a couple of times without scaring anyone unduly.

A good first half by referee Orsato. He has applied some excellent advantages, but clearly was aware that Bellingham was on the receiving end of several of the fouls. There was a point at which Bellingham was getting frustrated and the referee recognised that. On the next one, the Serbian offender was correctly yellow carded.

08:49 PM BST

45+2 min: Serbia 0 England 1

More danger for England down the Serbia right when Lukic beats Trippier and stands a cross up to the back post. Stones is there ahead of Mladenovic but makes a hash of his trap and swipes it behind for a corner.

But the corner is terrible and Bellingham defends at the near post.

08:48 PM BST

45+1 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Serbia look for a ball over the top to get Mitrovic in behind Walker but it’s overhit. And he wouldn’t have the pace to beat Walker.

08:47 PM BST

45 min: Serbia 0 England 1

England have had 60 per cent of possession but that has come down from 80 in the first 15 minutes. Two minutes of stoppage time are signalled.

08:45 PM BST

44 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Indeed he has and departs with watery eyes which suggests what looks like a hamstring injury could be serious:

Mladenovic ⇢ Kostic

08:44 PM BST

42 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Delay for treatment to Kostic who seems to have run his race.

08:43 PM BST

40 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Saka is treating Serbia to a full amusement arcade array of tricks. Gudelj, after Bellingham spins out of danger with a dip of the shoulder and a sprint off a standing start, is booked for hacking England’s No10 down.

08:40 PM BST

37 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Do you know why Bellingham wore the No 22 at Birmingham and Dortmund. It was to remind himself that he was a 4 and 8 and 10. Tonight he has popped up in all three roles, covering the entire field from England’s 18-yard line up. Winning the ball in a withdrawn position, he triggers an attack that sends Saka storming down the right to beat everyone with a cross with an enticing trajectory through the area … too far ahead of Kane and just intercepted before Foden could steal in.

08:37 PM BST

35 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Serbia are enjoying a rather more sustained period of possession and probing than at any other point. But Rice, Stones and Alexander-Arnold all make good interceptions.

08:35 PM BST

33 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Zivkovic is sent down the right by Lukic and he stands up a good cross that Guehi heads away from Vlahovic, reading the flight perfectly.

08:34 PM BST

31 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Haven’t seen much of Milinkovic-Savic but he is finally having a little spell on the ball.

08:33 PM BST

29 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Trippier stakes his claim to take it but Alexander-Arnold wants it and … lamps it straight into the wall.

08:30 PM BST

27 min: Serbia 0 England 1

England free-kick after more excellent work from Saka. His movement is bedazzling Kostic and Pavlovic and he is being fed by some great Alexander-Arnold passes. The foul was on Alexander-Arnold and he is lining up to shoot from about 28 yards.

08:28 PM BST

25 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Excellent interception from Alexander-Arnold as Vlahovic misplaced his pass and he sparks a thrilling counter with Walker bombing down the right. On and one he goes into the box, flying past Pavlovic who gives him a nudge, tightening the angle and he tries to lay the ball across the six-yard box instead of shooting with his right. Kane certainly thought he would shoot and hung back so when the ball whistled across goal there was no one there to stab it in.

08:25 PM BST

23 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Bellingham dips his shoulder into Kostic’s chest after trying to conduct the England fans following a crunching tackle.

08:24 PM BST

22 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Foul on Saka as he dribbled up the inside right gives England a free-kick. Alexander-Arnold swings it to the far post and it hits Rice and goes behind. It was as if he wasn’t expecting it to reach him. Good chance.

08:23 PM BST

Carra’s view

There has been a lot of talk about Bellingham being deeper to allow Foden to play as the 10. England’s opening goal shows why it has to be Bellingham in that role. He has done that all season at Real Madrid in a team that won La Liga and the Champions League. The bravery to go flying in there with other bodies was a joy to see. You don’t see many headers like that these days, especially from midfielders.

08:22 PM BST

19 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Big scare for England when Alexander-Arnold’s first touch in a left-half position is too heavy after Trippier fired a pass at him. The ball rebounds to Vlahovic who squares it to Mitrovic and he lets fly, the shot screaming past the right post and thudding into the advertising boards.

08:21 PM BST

17 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Alexander-Arnold drags a shot across goal and Bellingham has an egg on his cheekbone after Vlahovic leads with his shoulder in bundling him off the ball.

08:18 PM BST

15 min: Serbia 0 England 1

Great header. perfect execution but the timing of his run, what Ron Atkinson used to call ‘the arrive’, was even better. As Alan Shearer points out on the BBC, Marc Guehi is looking very composed.

08:13 PM BST

GOAL!

Serbia 0 England 1 (Bellingham)  Walker picks out Saka after the Arsenal winger dropped short then spun in behind. Saka takes it to the byline, having beaten Kostic and crosses with his (weaker) right foot. The ball hits the scrambling Pavlovic and loops up towards the penalty spot where Bellingham meets it perfectly and buries his header, straining his neck muscles to beat Milenkovic to it and and pumping it past Rajkovic.

08:12 PM BST

11 min: Serbia 0 England 0

Stones fouls Mitrovic in the Serbia box when the cross comes in from the free-kick.

08:11 PM BST

9 min: Serbia 0 England 0

Trip on Bellingham gives England a free-kick 45 yards out and Rice takes it quickly, trying to free Saka who couldn’t evade his marker and concedes a throw. England win the ball back and Bellingham brings it forward only to be stopped, illegally, by Lukic again. Another free-kick.

08:08 PM BST

7 min: Serbia 0 England 0

England are having a lot of the ball and Serbia have been reduced to hoofing it upfield to clear their lines. Cute pass from Bellingham almost slips Foden in down the inside-left but he peels away with his run at the last minute, allowing Veljkovic to put his foot through it. Back come England when Pickford sweeps up and Foden drags a shot across goal from an offside position.

Foden is playing more as an inside-left than outside-, looking to Trippier for the width.

08:05 PM BST

5 min: Serbia 0 England 0

Alexander-Arnold bends his cross in from the right but can’t beat the giant Milenkovic who booms a header clear and the press forces Walker to go back to Pickford.

08:04 PM BST

3 min: Serbia 0 England 0

Foden is observing a wandering brief, popping up on the right and through the middle, which leaves Trippier as the furthest forward on the left where he loses the ball but Pickford mops up when Serbia knock it forward.

Cheap foul on Saka gives England a free-kick wide right, 35 yards out.

08:03 PM BST

1 min: Serbia 0 England 0

England, playing from right to left, kick off and roll the ball back to Pickford who launches it up the left. Zivkivic wins the header and tries to send Vlahovic in with a ball over the top but Guehi stands firm.

08:01 PM BST

Ready?

07:59 PM BST

Uefa has Serbia lining up 3-5-1-1

With Vlahovic behind Mitrovic. Must have been a while since two No 9s were opposing captains at a tournament.

07:57 PM BST

Time for the national anthems

God Save the King first and lustily sung. England fans boo Serbia’s anthem, proving once again a lack of class and the answer to the question of which side has the most fans in the ground.

07:56 PM BST

The teams are in the tunnel

England are in white tracksuit tops, Serbia in red. Aleksandr Mitrovic is leading Serbia in Dusan Tadic’s absence. He can be quite combustible with six career red cards.

Cesc Fabregas and Rio Ferdinand on the BBC have just predicted a comfortable 3-0 victory.

07:52 PM BST

Crowd breakdown

No word yet on the make-up of the crowd. The Mitteleuropeans have dominated so far, Croatia outnumbering Spain, Albania Italy but there was also the clear, traditional dominance of the Dutch today even though Poland flanks Germany on the longer border. There are certainly large numbers of Serbia fans in town today.

07:48 PM BST

Serbia have tightened up their XI

By omitting captain Dusan Tadic and using Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in a slightly deeper role. But with two out and out strikers they will be looking for the wing-backs, both of whom are essentially wingers, to fly forward and test England’s aerial defence.

Predrag Rajkovic is a surprise selection in goal. Tonight is his first cap for two years and he has been picked in preference to Sergej’s kid brother Vanje, who played at the last World Cup and throughout qualification, and Chelsea’s Dorde Petrovic.

07:40 PM BST

England’s national hero is…

07:38 PM BST

And here are Jamie’s fuller thoughts on England

07:37 PM BST

Bold selection

All eyes on Trent Alexander-Arnold. There’s been too much negativity about his inclusion in midfield over last few days. The country has demanded for Southgate to be more positive for the last three tournaments. Selecting Alexander-Arnold is bold and reflects the fact a player of his talent has to be in the side. Playing him alongside Declan Rice enables England to get the best out of Trent without leaving him exposed defensively one-on-one, which can happen when he is at right back

07:36 PM BST

Southgate speaks to the BBC

07:29 PM BST

Declan Rice on partnering Trent Alexander-Arnold

07:23 PM BST

Shaw is in his kit

07:21 PM BST

Inside the England dressing room

07:12 PM BST

Serbia line up 3-4-1-2

Rajkovic (Mallorca); Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Pavlovich (Red Bull Salzburg); Zivkovich (PAOK), Gudelj (Sevilla), Lukic (Fulham), Kostic (Juventus); Milenkovic-Savic (Al Hilal); Vlahovic (Juventus), Mitrovic (Al Hilal).

07:07 PM BST

Serbia team news

07:02 PM BST

Gary Neville on T A-A

“Trust me, Brazil, Spain would make a place for that man.”

07:01 PM BST

Those squad numbers told the story

England line up 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 8, 4, 7, 10, 11, 9. Had Luke Shaw been fit it would have been 1-11.

Pickford (Everton), Walker (Man City), Guehi (Palace), Stones (Man City), Trippier (Newcastle); Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Rice (Arsenal); Saka (Arsenal), Bellingham (Real Madrid), Foden (Man City); Kane (Bayern Munich).

06:56 PM BST

England name expected XI

06:53 PM BST

Denmark and Slovenia ends all square

In a 1-1 draw. Looked like a decent match but it obviously means that a victory tonight for either side will send them to the top of Group C.

06:49 PM BST

Serbia are here too, natch

06:48 PM BST

A first sight of the England players

06:39 PM BST

Meanwhile in Middlesex

Atmosphere building already here inside Wembley Box Park with England fans out in full voice. Songs of ‘please don’t take me home, I just don’t wanna go to work’ seem fitting on a Sunday night in June. Not a lot of attention being paid to Denmark vs Slovenia, aside from a lovely reception for Christian Eriksen’s goal, truly one of football’s most miraculous stories. England team to be released soon with a confident win fully expected by this jubilant audience which includes striker Jermain Defoe in its midst.

06:35 PM BST

Style guide

06:23 PM BST

Predict the score

06:20 PM BST

From the match programme

Gareth Southgate has spoken to the official Euro 2024 official tournament programme.

“We’ve been one kick away from being champions, so we know it’s possible. That’s such a psychological breakthrough. But we’ve got one more step to take.”

06:16 PM BST

Our very own double act move outdoors

06:10 PM BST

Last dance

England will need to closely adhere to the instruction of the Italian referee Daniele Orsato tonight.  Orsato, who is retiring after this tournament, is a strict enforcer of the rules and it is worth remembering only the captain is meant to speak to the referee at this tournament. Orsato handed out 10 yellow cards in a Champions League match between Manchester United and PSG back in 2019, also sending off Paul Pogba, so will not be afraid to dish out cards if required.

05:54 PM BST

Red absence

Gareth Southgate is not expected to have Manchester United players in his starting line-up tonight against Serbia, and it could be the first time in 28 years when no players from the club feature in an England tournament match.

It was back in 1996, when Germany won on penalties at Wembley, that England last played in a major tournament without a single United player on the pitch. Gary Neville was suspended for the Euro semi-final and was replaced in the team by Paul Ince, who was at Inter Milan at the time.

Of course, Kobbie Mainoo could come off the bench and represent United in Gelsenkirchen. Southgate will make a decision on whether Luke Shaw is on the bench after a hamstring injury but he is not expected to feature until later in the tournament.

United have had England players feature at every tournament game since 1996, through the David Beckham era firstly. Wayne Rooney made his finals debut as an Everton player but Paul Scholes and Neville were playing for the Three Lions.

During Southgate’s eight years in charge, he started with Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard in his 2018 team at the World Cup, with Harry Maguire moving to Old Trafford before the next tournament. Maguire was injured for the opening match of the last Euros, against Croatia, but Marcus Rashford came off the bench to represent United.

05:39 PM BST

If you’re having a wager

The England squad will be focused following defeat to lowly-ranked Iceland, but with fragility at the back and some formidable forces in the opposing line up, it will be no walk-over against Serbia today. If you’re placing a bet on the game first take a look at these latest Euros betting offers for boosted odds.

05:30 PM BST

Preview: Banishing first game blues

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of England’s Euro 2024 Group C opener against Serbia. Much of the build-up has naturally been dominated by the violence of still undetermined origin at time of writing that kicked off in Gelsenkirchen this afternoon. The shame of the game endures and, fuelled by disparate social and political forces, seems ineradicable. At every European Championship since 1980 when England supporters’ attacks on Belgium fans at Stadio Communale sparked a riot, I have either been reading or writing about fighting, vandalism and lairy behaviour at every continental tournament. At least in 2028, we know it will be one thing that we can bank on coming home…

Other than that, how was the play Mrs Lincoln? One thing that Gareth Southgate has managed to do during his often maligned spell as England manager is start tournaments well, beating Tunisia at the 2018 World Cup, Croatia at Euro 2020 and Iran in Qatar.

Before that England had drawn three and lost one of their previous four competition openers and their victory over Croatia at Wembley, won by Raheem Sterling’s goal, was actually the only time they have won their first match at a European Championship finals, having drawn with Belgium in 1980, Denmark in 1992, Switzerland in 1996, France in 2012, Russia in 2016 and suffering defeats by Ireland in 1988, Portugal in 2000 and France in 2004.

Victory tonight against a Serbia side, who qualified second in their group having won four, drawn two and lost two (both against group winners Hungary), would keep that happy streak going if not the critics off his back unless they find the fluency befitting their talent that has eluded them in the warm-ups.

The only dilemma in selection seems to be over the identity of the second deep midfielder should he opt, as seems certain, for his favourite double pivot instead of transitioning to a 4-1-4-1. All the noise – and squad numbers – suggest that Trent Alexander-Arnold will continue there in preference to more natural 6s/8s such as Kobbie Mainoo or Conor Gallagher.

As for Serbia there must be some  concern over the form and durability of their two most potent players, Sergej, the elder of the Milinkovic-Savic brothers, and Aleksandr Mitrovic, both of whom have been playing for Al Hilal in the Saudi Premier League this season. Al Hilal did win the title in an Invincible season, Mitrovioc scoring 28 league goals in 28 appearances but they were rarely tested, averaging three goals per game all season and chalking up 9-0, 7-0 and 6-1 victories. They may argue they will be fresh, which could also be true, but I am sure England would rather face this talented but erratic team after its best players have been in the SPL for a year than had they continued to play for Lazio and Fulham respectively.