By Katie Catherall
England raised the curtain on their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over a strong Serbia side on Sunday night.
The Three Lions arrived onto the pitch full of confidence, but were forced into a second half battle against a hungry opponent after taking the lead after 13 minutes. A single goal from Jude Bellingham was enough to see them escape with a victory, despite enduring a nervy finish to the contest.
Here are England's best and worst players from the game, according to 90min's player ratings.
England's best player vs Serbia
Jude Bellingham - 9/10
As England fans eagerly prepared for the first game of the tournament blasting tunes like 'Hey Jude' out of their speakers, Jude Bellingham made sure to please the travelling supporters by etching his name onto the scoresheet and kickstarting his team's success.
His header from six yards out of the box flew into the back of the net and past the hands of Predrag Rajkovic - who was unable to deal with his quick effort.
Everything about his game was impressive. His positioning, his awareness, his quality in both attack and defence up and down - it's going to be a fun tournament with Bellingham in an England shirt.
Honourable mention
Marc Guehi - 8/10
Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi had a lot of doubters heading into the opening fixture, but the young defender showed heaps of talent and stood out amongst his more experienced teammates.
He deserves his flowers for his incredible amount of tackles won and passes made, and also needs praise for a vital clearance that stopped Serbia from pulling a goal back.
Guehi stepped up when he was needed in what threatened to be a weakened defensive lineup after Harry Maguire's withdrawal. He certainly made a case for being a regular starter.
England worst player vs Serbia
Phil Foden - 5/10
It seems that when Phil Foden is taken out of Pep Guardiola's systematic lineup, the winger struggles to make a name for himself - or that was certainly the case against Serbia.
The Manchester City star, with 27 goals at club level this past season, was almost silent against Serbia and looked completely lost in the Three Lions' attack. For a player that thrives in the Premier League, it was odd to see him look lacklustre on the international stage.
Dishonourable mention
Harry Kane - 5/10
Serbia must've been warned to keep Harry Kane quiet, as the Bayern Munich star had little to no impact during the game.
He made very few touches and could've been removed from the pitch with hardly any effect on the game at hand. In fact, he made just two touches in the first half, his fewest in the first half of any start for England in a competitive match.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as England's best and worst players in opening Euro 2024 win over Serbia.
