Bellingham Foden England GFXGetty/GOAL

Phil Foden needs to start bossing England games like Jude Bellingham: Winners and losers as Man City star falls flat yet again for the Three Lions while Real Madrid star shows how to handle the big stage in Euro 2024 opener

England have made a winning start to a European Championship campaign for only the second time in 11 attempts. And yet, their 1-0 win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen did not feel like a result to shout about from the rooftops.

Jude Bellingham was at his swaggering best, scoring the only goal of the game and leading England in practically every area of the pitch. Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka also gave memorable performances, as did tournament debutant Marc Guehi. But after making such a good start, England fell into a familiar trap of not knowing what to do next and ended up clinging on to their lead for much of the second half.

Phil Foden's flat performance was a big concern. The Manchester City midfielder barely ever gives the ball away at club level, but he was in a generous mood here, repeatedly handing it over to Serbia in the second half.

Article continues below

England got away with it thanks to some wasteful shooting from their opponents, particularly former Premier League hitman Aleksandar Mitrovic. But they will need to up their game if they want to go deep in the competition and live up to their pre-tournament billing as one of the favourites.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Veltins-Arena...