TAA to the box
Alexander-Arnold has a first long free kick to negotiate. His cross is returned by the head of Milinkovic-Savic.
England takes control
First sequence of possession for the Three Lions, who circle around the opposing area. Alexander-Arnold does not hesitate to come out of the middle to attack high.
Let’s go to Gelsenkirchen!
It was the English, in white, who kicked off this Euro 2024 group stage match!
The players are on the pitch
The Gelsenkirchen stadium is full and will accompany the national anthems. The kick-off will be given by the Italian referee Daniele Orsato.
The Serbs sluggish in qualifying
Serbia arrives at the Euro without much certainty. Second in their qualifying group, the Eagles lost twice against Hungary (first in the group) and conceded two draws against Bulgaria, who were last. They finished ahead of Montenegro.
Seven Serbian fans arrested after clashes
German police announced on Sunday evening the arrest of seven Serbian supporters involved in scuffles with Englishmen in Gelsenkirchen, shortly before a Euro-2024 match in the city between the teams of the two countries.
All were taken into custody after these incidents which took place on the terrace of a restaurant in the city, according to a police spokesperson, who reported a complaint filed for assault and battery against the ‘one of them.
“The reasons for what happened are still unclear,” he added. The two groups had to be separated by the police. The German daily Bild published images showing an altercation on the restaurant terrace, notably with chairs being thrown.
An AFP journalist noted broken glass at the terrace after the incidents and saw a group of Serbian supporters about to be escorted out of the area to a metro station by police, present in large numbers. number.
The English arrive launched
England finished their qualifying campaign unbeaten and arrive full of confidence. Despite a tough group (Italy, Ukraine), the Three Lions finished without the slightest defeat, with six wins and two draws. Since then, they have still conceded two more timid results: a narrow defeat against Brazil (0-1) and a draw snatched at the last minute against Belgium (2-2).
The Serbs have fangs
Absent from the last Euro, Serbia is making its comeback in the competition and will play its card to the full in this open Group C behind the English. In the other match, Slovenia and Denmark drew (1-1) and the Serbs would be well advised to take advantage with a positive result.
Finally the right one for England?
Always among the favorites, England never manages to go all the way. Semi-finalists of the 2018 World Cup, finalists of Euro 2021 and quarter-finalists of the 2022 World Cup, the English are consistent but end up falling. Gareth Southgate’s men are led by a talented generation (Bellingham, Foden, Saka, Rice) supervised by some thirty-somethings (Kane, Walker, Stones). They hope, finally, to win a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
A formidable Serbian attacking duo, an acquaintance of Ligue 1 holder
Dragan Stojkovic’s Serbia opts for a 3-5-2 and a three-way defense. The offensive sector is impressive with a Vlahovic-Mitrovic duo which weighs heavily, and puts Luka Jovic on the bench. Former Reims Predrag Rajkovic starts in goal, Filip Kostic (Juventus) will lead the left lane.
Rajkovic – Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic – Zivkovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Lukic, Kostic – Vlahovic, Mitrovic.
Bellingham and all the heavy artillery lined up on the English side
Almost all eyes are on Jude Bellingham, who plays at the heart of a very talented offensive sector with the Saka-Foden-Kane trio. A right back by training, Kieran Trippier starts at left back, in a defense where Marc Guéhi compensates for the absence of Harry Maguire. Trent Alexander-Arnold continues in midfield alongside Declan Rice.
Pickford – Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier – Alexander-Arnold, Rice – Saka, Bellingham, Foden – Kane.
Several Serbian ultras arrested after fights with Albanian supporters
According to a Spanish journalist present in Gelsenkirchen, Serbian ultras were arrested by the police after being attacked by Albanian supporters. The others were escorted from the metro to the stadium, all in a tense atmosphere.
An England fan and a police officer are said to have been injured
On the sidelines of the clashes which took place in the streets of Gelsenkirchen, two injuries should be reported according to The Guardian: an English supporter and a police officer were hit in the head after hooligans attacked a bar where Serbian supporters were drinking.
The situation is already tense in Gelsenkirchen, several fights have broken out
While the Serbia-England kick-off is not scheduled until 9 p.m. this Sunday evening in Gelsenkirchen, the first scenes of tension are taking place in the German city, particularly around the terraces of several restaurants. Some did not hesitate to use chairs as shields, others ended up with bloody faces.
As a reminder, this meeting is classified as high risk and placed under very close surveillance by the German authorities.
More information here.
Good evening everyone
Welcome to RMC Sport to follow live commentary with Serbia-England, second match of Group C of Euro 2024. The clash will take place in Gelsenkirchen, on the pitch of the German club Schalke 04. Kick-off will be given at 9 p.m. by Italian referee Daniele Orsato.
