England began their quest for Euro 2024 glory with a far-from-straightforward 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday evening.
Hopes in the build-up to the tournament were high, although had been dimmed a bit by a lack of fit defenders.
Harry Maguire, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are all missing from the tournament in Germany while Luke Shaw was absent from the opening group game due to a lack of match fitness.
Still, Gareth Southgate's side remained resolute at the back against the Serbs, coming away with the all-important three points.
Jude Bellingham – who else – was the man to open the scoring but beyond that England lacked invention and creativity in the final third.
They will have to find a way to get the most from the likes of Phil Foden and Harry Kane who for large parts of the game went missing.
Kane did strike the bar with a header in the second half but beyond that was rather anonymous in Gelsenkirchen.
So, what was the response to the win? Doing punditry for the BBC, Cesc Fabregas certainly wasn't happy with the aforementioned Foden while much was made of Southgate's substitutions.
What did Matt Upson think, however? Speaking to Football FanCast, he told all.
What Upson said about England's win over Serbia
Talking exclusively to FFC on behalf of Luckyblock.com, the former England centre-half was pretty pleased with the display of Southgate's boys.
The winner of 21 caps commented: "England started the game well, on the front foot and dominated for the first 20 minutes. Most players were getting on the ball and England created some good chances. An excellent header by Jude Bellingham who was superb the whole game saw England take a deserved lead."
That said, the second half was rather a game of suffer ball with the Three Lions camped in their half for much of the proceedings. Still, Upson – who scored at the World Cup in South Africa – was happy with the defensive performance.
He continued: "England tired in the second half, but full credit to the team for defending really well. Some games you will suffer and defensively England fought well as the Serbian team were strong and physical. You have to put a lot of credit to the team for this. Gareth will take a lot out of this game, so it’s a win and a clean sheet, which is hugely positive."
What Upson said about Marc Guehi's performance
A large part of that impressive defensive performance was down to Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi who was making his tournament debut.
Until a fortnight ago the former Chelsea man wasn't expecting to be in the starting lineup but Maguire's late exclusion from the squad means he is now a key part of England's Euro 2024 conquest.
Interestingly, he is one of very few in the squad who can operate on the left-hand side of the backline, only heaping more importance on his role out in Germany this summer.
Upson, who played seven times for Palace on loan in 2001, was quick to hail his fellow central defender.
"He was calm on the ball, defended superbly well and for his competitive debut at a competition level, you have to heap huge praise on Guehi," the pundit said.
Upson further stated: "He was excellent on the ball, calm and very composed. To play that well on debut in a Euros against a tough Serbian strike force of Mitrovic and Vlahovic was excellent. It looked like he and Stones had been playing together for a long time.
Minutes played
90
Touches
60
Accurate passes
51/53 (96%)
Ground duels won
1/1
Aerial duels won
1/3
Clearances
2
Tackles
1
Blocked shots
1
"This is a massive bonus for England that they kept a clean sheet and barely looked in trouble and that is huge credit to Guehi. His performance was outstanding."
England certainly weren't at their best on Sunday evening but the Palace defender will no doubt be delighted with how he played. Long may it continue throughout the tournament.
Serbia 0-1 England: Player ratings from Three Lions' Euro 2024 opener
England began their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia.
ByMatt DawsonJun 16, 2024