England v Serbia: Three Lions get Euro 2024 campaign underway (2024)

England fans were celebrating into the night after Jude Bellingham's first-half goal proved to be enough for the Three Lions to beat Serbia 1-0 in the opening game of their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany.

Gareth Southgate's men survived a nervy second-half to hold on in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening - with tens of thousands of fans in the stadium and millions more watching from home breaking into 'Sweet Caroline' at full-time.

The nation erupted when 20-year-old Bellingham gave Englanda 1-0 lead just 13 minutes into the match with a sublime flying header into the top corner.

England fans showed their appreciation for the country's golden boy by singing a rendition of The Beatles' hit Hey Jude after launching their pints into the air in celebration.

In stark contrast, anxious England fans were biting their nails and holding their breath in the second-half as a determined Serbia threatened to ruin the night. Supporters could finally breathe a sigh of relief when the referee blew for full-time, paving the way for the celebrations to start up again.

The star-studded squad were supported by their families, WAGs and the whole nation as they won their first game of the Euros in their bid to go one better than three years ago when they lost on penalties against Italyin the final at Wembley.

The Euro 2020 final was marred by ugly scenes as ticketless fans forced their way into Wembley - and the scourge of football hooliganism made a shameful return on Sunday as England and Serbian fans clashed on the streets before kick-off.

Despite the violence and travel delays sparking chaos, tens of thousands of excited fans made it to the Veltins-Arena, while millions of England supporters packed out bars and fan zones at home.

More than 30,000 England fans - only 20,000 of whom had tickets - were inGelsenkirchen for the clash which was designated as 'high risk' due to the reputation of the two fanbases.

Only low-alcohol beer was being served in the stadium in an attempt to reduce the potential for problems.

After the tight victory, the England players joined the WAGs in the stands.Among those in the crowd wasJordan Pickford's wife, Megan Davison, who arrived early wearing a cropped England shirt with her husband's number one on.

Jude Bellingham's parents, Mark and Denise, and footballer brother, Jobe, took selfies with the crowd, while the partners of Harry Kane, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka,Ollie Watkins and Conor Gallagher were all in attendance.

After both countries belted out their respective national anthems, the highly-anticipated clash finally got underway at 8pm - with fans on both sides raising the roof in Germany.

The WAGs were seen smiling, waving and cheering as England captain Kane led the squad, playing in their traditional white strip, out to the pitch.

The Three Lions made an assured start, seeing plenty of the ball while Serbia were sitting deep.

And the pressure paid off as just 13 minutes into the game, Bellingham met a cross from Bukayo Saka with a stunning header to give England the lead - sending fans in Germany and at home wild.

Moments later, Serbia's star strikerAleksandar Mitrović almost levelled as he tried to capitalise on a poor error from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Midway through the first half, the pacey Kyle Walker stormed through on goal, nearly doubling England's lead, but firing narrowly wide.

Ten minutes before half-time, Bukayo Saka breezed past the Serbian defence and searched for Phil Foden with a cutback but he couldn't quite find his team-mate.

England's early dominance faded in the minutes before half-time, but Southgate's side were in a strong position at the break thanks to Bellingham's thumping header.

Fans were seen launching pints into the air and singing 'Its Coming Home' in fan zones across the country.

Boxpark venues at London'sWembley, Croydon and Shoreditch were rammed - while supporters forgot about work on Monday as they flocked to bars in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Newcastle.

Early in the second half, the England fans tried to make their voices heard as Serbia managed to get a foothold in the game.

Despite the Serbian pressure, England nearly doubled their lead again when Alexander-Arnold tested the goalkeeper with a thumping effort from outside of the box. Moments later, Bellingham weaved into the box and went down under a challenge but play was waved on by the referee.

At the 65-minute mark, the Serbs missed a crucial opportunity to level as substitute Dusan Tadic played Luka Jovic in - but the striker failed to control the ball and the chance passed him by.

England reacted to the Serbian dominance by bringing on Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, who replaced Alexander-Arnold after 68 minutes, and Jarrod Bowen who came on for Saka shortly after.

The changes almost paid off as Kane - who had barely touched the ball all night - towered over the Serbian defence to smash a header against the crossbar via an incredible fingertip save by goalkeeperPredrag Rajković.

With less than 10 minutes to go, England keeper Pickford matchedRajković with an equally impressive save as he kept out a long-range strike to keep his side's lead intact.

In the closing minutes, England fans serenaded Bellingham as he was replaced by youngster Kobbie Mainoo - before they broke into a rendition of God Save The King in a bid to rally the Three Lions on.

The gutsy England squad managed to hold on in the end, securing three points on the board - but the win will do little to justify their billing as the tournament favourites.

Southgate has encouraged supporters to enjoy their time in Germany and Three Lions fans were certainly enjoying themselves last night.

Many were dressed head to toe in England colours as supporters flocked to bars for German steins.

England fans in Newcastle danced to Sweet Caroline as they watched their side kick off with a win.

Chants of 'please don't take me home' and 'Bowen's on fire' blared across the concourse as The Three Lions edged towards victory.

Patriotic fans wore England bucket hats and retro shirts as they nervously watched a tense second half.

Thrilled Derek Elder, 64, a retired photographer, said: 'The first half was fantastic and it's a great win.

'The team was under pressure on the second half but the win was the most important thing.

'I think we can go on and win the whole thing, there's no reason why not. I'm not Southgate's biggest fan but if we win the whole thing I will change my mind for sure.'

Derek's daughter Beth, a 24-year-old hospital worker, said: 'Southgate is definitely the one.

'We really enjoyed the game and I think we can get far in the Euros. It was a really good atmosphere and hopefully we can bring it home.'

A fan zone in Essen, Germany had only 25 people as the final whistle blew to signal England's victory. It can hold around 2,000 people but had charged a seven euro entry fee.

England fans Andrew and Joanne Patterson from Bishop Auckland were seen celebrating in the empty fan zone at full-time.

Some England fans in Germany have been heard chanting a Second World War-related song, 'Ten German bombers', despite pleas against doing so by police and the FA.

Yet many more fans have been good-humoured as they raised pints with fellow fans and German hosts.

Tens of thousands of England fans started drinking early in the glorious sunshine in Germany before the heavens opened hours before kick off.

Excited fans were spotted downing booze as the atmosphere for England's opener ramped up.

At home, England fans also flocked to boozers - despite the awkward timing of the game, with many in work on Monday morning.

Men, women and children were spotted draped in St George's flags as they support Southgate's squad on their quest to end 58 years of hurt.

Sunday's game marks a return to Gelsenkirchen 18 years after Wayne Rooney saw red there as England crashed out of the World Cup yet again on penalties.

The Three Lions, managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson and captained by David Beckham, lost their World Cup quarter-final shoot-out to Portugal in June 2006.

Star striker Wayne Rooney was sent off for a stamp on opposing centre-back Ricardo Carvalho, with the England man's then-Manchester United clubmate Cristiano Ronaldo caught on camera winking after leading protests for a red card.

Stay-at-home fans were predicted to down a 30million pints in pubs and in their homes for the opening confrontation with Serbia - with an audience of about 17million expected to tune in the BBC One's coverage.

England's 35,000 pubs were braced for 'Super Sunday', with more than 14million pints expected to be sold - and another 16million tucked into at home.

An estimated 40,000 England supporters are believed to have descended this weekend on Gelsenkirchen and neighbouring cities such as Dusseldorf and Cologne.

But many faced issues reaching the stadium after a broken down train caused public transport delays.

Frustrated fans reported waiting more than half an hour for a train, while sports writer Oliver Kay described the situation as a 'total mess'.

He wrote on social media: 'For any England or Serbia fans who are still in the middle of Gelsenkirchen (or worse still not there yet), I'd recommend you set off on foot if you can. It's about three miles but the public transport situation is a total mess.'

German police have been working with authorities from London and Belgrade to try to avoid ugly scenes in the areas around the stadium and during the game itself.

Hours before kick-off, England and Serbianfootball fans clashed in ugly scenes inGelsenkirchen.

Shocking pictures showed supporters covered in blood after violence broke out ahead of kick off.

German riot police quickly descended on the scene, with police revealing that seven arrests were made, of which all were Serbian nationals.

There was speculation over which supporters were involved in the vicious brawls, with reports initially suggesting the violence was sparked by Serbia's arch-rivals Albania attacking Serbs.

However, Gelsenkirchen police have now said it was English and Serbian fans who were involved in the fighting.

'It was an altercation between English and Serbian fans, who were separated by the police,' a spokesman said. 'Further measures are underway and the background is currently being clarified.'

Officers moved in after trouble erupted between fans outside a restaurant-bar just after 3.30pm. Video shows a group of thugs - some hooded and masked - launching bottles, chairs and tables - while some supporters were seen fleeing the area for safety as tension boiled over.

One English fan is believed to have suffered a head wound in the fracas, with one other injured.

Earlier, the UK's dedicated Football Policing Unit released a statement saying a 'number of arrests' have been made, but it is believed those detained are Serbian.

A spokesperson for the UK's Football Policing Unit said: 'We are aware of an issue in Gelsenkirchen ahead of the England v Serbia match.

'Our German colleagues have made a number of arrests of what we currently believe to be Serbian supporters.

'At this stage we do not believe that any UK nationals have been arrested but enquiries are ongoing.

'Our officers are at the location speaking to German colleagues.

'Our investigation team is now reviewing footage of the incident and if any UK nationals have been involved, football banning orders will be sought.'

Meanwhile, Hamburg police shot a man they say was armed with an 'axe-like object' and a 'Molotov co*cktail' just hours before the city staged its first game of the tournament.

The German city's police force said officers were threatened by the individual and, after he refused to drop the incendiary device, he was shot in the leg.

The incident took place near the city's fan park in the St Pauli district around two-and-a-half hours before the Netherlands faced Poland at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion.