Harry Kane believes England “stood up to the test well” following their 1-0 win over Serbia in their opening game of Euro 2024.
Jude Bellingham headed home the only goal of the game after 13 minutes to give Gareth Southgate’s side a winning start in Germany.
England played really well for the first half an hour, but their second half performance will be a concern as they just sat back and got boxed in their own half at times.
Kane reacts to England win
The victory means England go straight to the top of Group C following Denmark’s 1-1 draw with Slovenia.
It may not have been the best performance, and England did make it hard for themselves, but tournament football is all about winning and not peaking too soon.
Kane felt England dealt well with the test provided by Serbia and said they knew they would be in for a tough game.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, Serbia pose a lot of threats and have some good players,” he told BBC Sport.
“They will make it a battle for you and I think we dealt with it really well.
“There was a spell in the second half where we got camped in our box and we found it hard to get out but it was an important win tonight.
“It’s a tough game, they are a tough team and have good players.
“We stood up to it well and it is good to get the three points and [for us] to progress.
“It’s good that we got the win today.”
A big concern for England will have been the performance of Phil Foden on the left-hand side who didn’t look anything like the player who was named Premier League Player of the Year, whilst it appears Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield doesn’t really work.
There’s plenty to ponder ahead of England’s next game against Denmark on Thursday before they round out the group stage against Slovenia.
