How champions win

Not a show of force or a display of great power from the team ranked as the number one candidate for the championship, the England team dragged their opponent Serbia into a somewhat boring match in Group C of Euro 2024 on the evening of June 16.

Statistics show that both sides only had 11 shots (6 from Serbia, 5 from England), meaning that on average, fans only saw one shot on goal every 10 minutes. According to Opta, this was the second-fewest number of shots in 322 Euro finals matches since 1980.

Of course, there are still many points to criticize England's performance. For example, the lack of energy in midfield, the dependence on Bellingham or the way Alexander-Arnold repeatedly made the home team's heart stop with his adventurous handling.

However, victory always seemed to be in the hands of coach Southgate and his team. Until the moment star Jude Bellingham headed the opening goal, the game was in the hands of the Three Lions. This dominance was clearly shown through the statistics. England launched 150 passes, 10 times the modest 15 passes of Serbia.

What's more, it wasn't until the 6th minute that Bellingham and his teammates gave the opponent their first accurate pass. Without the ball, it's impossible to attack, let alone score. That's obvious.

Only when they scored did England slow down and somewhat concede the game to their opponents. However, Serbia's goal probability of only 0.18xG showed that this team had very little chance of equalizing the score.

It should be added that the opponents of coach Southgate and his team are not easy to bully. If they were not superior in class, the Three Lions could not have suppressed Serbia in such a way.

The most important goal was to win and get 3 points, which England achieved. Next, the team kept the energy for the pillars and did not have to use all their skills. The best drama is yet to come. In big tournaments, strong teams often start slowly and sluggishly instead of exploding.

For example, in 4 of the last 5 Euros, Greece (2004), Spain (2008 and 2012), Portugal (2016) all progressed slowly, even faltered at times, but eventually won. Perhaps England are no longer naive and with their current strength, they are showing the image of champions.

The Big Boss in Bellingham

Bellingham was the difference between the two teams. The midfielder, who had just won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, seemed to be playing at a completely different level. The only goal of the game showed his stature. He received the ball in the centre circle, set the tone for the attack by cutting the ball to the right and then sprinted into the box to head home the ball into the Serbian net.

That is the way the all-round midfielder dominates the game. Lothar Matthaus, the legend who led the German team to win both the European and world championships and rocked many football fields, is the type of person who wrote and executed the script himself.

And today, on television, he admitted that if there was one player who reminded him of himself, it was "the Real Madrid player, Bellingham".

Not only does Bellingham have the physicality and energy of Matthaus, he is also extremely skillful and agile, as Madrid fans still compare him to Zidane.

Time and again, he controlled the ball with swan-like skill and opened up vast spaces. It seemed as if Bellingham was creating a work of art with every touch.

Harry Kane was captain and England's top scorer, but it was clear that the striker had to step back to make way for Bellingham. While Kane only had two touches in the first half, Bellingham had the most touches on the pitch and helped the Three Lions dominate.

Every time he has the ball, the 20-year-old midfielder makes a difference with his outstanding class. Typically, a volley that makes the whole stadium admire and the fans chant his name. Statistics also show that Bellingham is the player who makes the most passes in the final third of the pitch and ranks second in terms of dribbles.

The Serbian defenders could only stop the opposing maestro by trickery or fouls. Bellingham was fouled twice as many times as any other player in the first half. That's not counting the situations that were not recorded because before the referee blew his whistle, Bellingham jumped up and continued to glide.

Many stars only come alive when they have the ball, but Bellingham impressed even without it. No one won four duels in the first 45 minutes, while the Real Madrid player won eight.

Another special thing about this star is his ability to stimulate morale. Before each ball attack on the opponent, Bellingham always shouts to stir up the crowd and show his aggressiveness. That kind of temperament is rare for a star to have.

England have many stars in their squad, but none have the champion's temperament that Bellingham has shown. Natural talent is a key factor in this player's confidence in playing in difficult situations.

However, perhaps wearing the Real Madrid shirt also helped Bellingham to be instilled with the pride of "king".