England manager, Gareth Southgate, has admitted his team had to “suffer” as they began their Euro 2024 campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday night.
Jude Bellingham’s powerful header saw the Three Lions pick up all three points in Gelsenkirchen.
Southgate’s men, who finished runners up at the last Championships, had to defend for most of the second half.
After the game, Southgate told BBC: “They are a strong team. We had to suffer a bit which I think is really good for us.
“I think to defend the box the way we did was really good for us. I was really pleased with a lot of the play.
“Second half, we didn’t keep it as well as I would have liked but to get the win is very important.”
Euro 2024: We had to suffer – Southgate reacts to 1-0 win over Serbia
