In the final match of the third day of Euro 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, at the AufSchalke Arena, the teams of England and Serbia faced off. Many called the British almost the main favorites of the tournament, while the Serbs were eager to rehabilitate after the not very successful 2022 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s team was noticeably superior in composition to its opponents – Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and others. The England coach does not hide that the team’s goal is to win the European Championship. In the previous tournament, the British were already one step away from victory, losing in the final to Italy.
On the eve of the match, the German police seriously feared riots in the stadium. There were rumors that a group of 500 Serbian fans gathered in the English fans’ stands with the aim of causing a provocation.
In fact, on the day of the game everything was limited to a skirmish in the city. The British attacked the Serbian fans, but received serious pushback and were forced to retreat when they saw the police. A Foggy Albion representative and a law enforcement officer were injured.
Fans from Russia also came to the stadium to support the Serbians. Once again, the Russian flag appeared in the transmitted images. Unfortunately for the team that supports Spartak, the red and white defender Srdjan Babic was not in the starting eleven.
The England team managed to quickly take the lead. Bukayo Saka crossed into the penalty area and Jude Bellingham ran up and headed the ball towards the goal. After that, there were no real scoring opportunities. The British did not allow their opponents practically anything in attack, and they themselves also failed to create.
In the second half of the meeting, the British decided to cede the initiative to their opponents. And again and again the Serbs began to approach the door. However, even the replacements didn’t help. The English team defended confidently, but the opponent’s attack lacked sharpness.
Furthermore, Harry Kane had the opportunity to score the second goal, but the Serbian goalkeeper managed to change the flight of the ball and hit the crossbar.
The result of the match was a narrow victory for England 1:0. Southgate’s team will play Denmark in the next round, while Serbia will face a key match against Slovenia.
