FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays the crowd during his third round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Novak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open with an injured right knee on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, ending his title defense and meaning he will relinquish the No. 1 ranking.
- Jean-Francois Badias - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia's players pose ahead of the Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia fans cheer during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England team players pose prior to the start of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, front, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, right, scores the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham (10) scores on a header during the first half in a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, June 17, 2024.
- Thanassis Stavrakis - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fans celebrate England's first goal of the game, scored by Jude Bellingham, at the 4theFans Central Park in Brighton, England, Sunday, June 16, 2024 during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
- Gareth Fuller - foreign subscriber, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, left, celebrates with England's Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane, right, saves a shot on goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates at the end of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane, left, grimaces in pain after a challenge by Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane runs for the ball during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Frank Augstein - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham gets a hug from England's manager Gareth Southgate after being substituted during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's manager Gareth Southgate looks up prior to a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Bernd Thissen - foreign subscriber, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Milos Veljkovic applaud fans during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane shakes hands with Serbia's Milos Veljkovic at the end of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP
Jude Bellingham scored to give England a winning start at Euro 2024 by beating Serbia 1-0
FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays the crowd during his third round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Novak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open with an injured right knee on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, ending his title defense and meaning he will relinquish the No. 1 ranking.
- Jean-Francois Badias - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia's players pose ahead of the Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia fans cheer during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England team players pose prior to the start of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, front, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, right, scores the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham (10) scores on a header during the first half in a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, June 17, 2024.
- Thanassis Stavrakis - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fans celebrate England's first goal of the game, scored by Jude Bellingham, at the 4theFans Central Park in Brighton, England, Sunday, June 16, 2024 during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
- Gareth Fuller - foreign subscriber, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham, left, celebrates with England's Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring the opening goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane, right, saves a shot on goal during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates at the end of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Martin Meissner - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane, left, grimaces in pain after a challenge by Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Alessandra Tarantino - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane runs for the ball during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Frank Augstein - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Jude Bellingham gets a hug from England's manager Gareth Southgate after being substituted during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's manager Gareth Southgate looks up prior to a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Bernd Thissen - foreign subscriber, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Serbia's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Milos Veljkovic applaud fans during a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
England's Harry Kane shakes hands with Serbia's Milos Veljkovic at the end of a Group C match between Serbia and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
- Andreea Alexandru - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Jude Bellingham is the star of Kim Kardashian’s male underwear range, England icon David Beckham mimics his trademark goal celebration, and a Beatles classic has become his anthem as adoring fans serenade him with “Hey Jude” when he’s on the field.
Bellingham, it seems, can do no wrong.
No surprise then that he was the player to get England off to a winning start at the European Championship with a first-half goal to beat Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
“Every game I feel like I can make an impact, I feel like I can decide games,” the Real Madrid star said. "I really enjoy playing football so when I go out there, I play with a fearlessness because I love doing it so much. It is a release for me."
Wearing the No. 10 jersey once adorned by Wayne Rooney, the midfielder stooped to head in Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 13th minute. Bellingham raced away, arms outstretched in a pose Madrid fans have grown to love and Beckham has replicated on social media in tribute to a player who doesn't turn 21 until later this month.
Bellingham has already done his talking on the field after a spectacular debut season at Madrid where he scored 23 goals, won the Spanish title and the Champions League.
He is also making a splash off of it.
Like Beckham, his appeal goes far beyond soccer. Presumably that was what Kardashian knew after Bellingham was chosen to front the menswear range of her SKIMS underwear. He's also the star of an advertising campaign for sportswear giant Adidas, which also features Beckham, who is just another of Bellingham's many fans.
So much, so soon for someone so young could be seen as a cause for concern.
But Bellingham is not your average player.
“He writes his own script,” England manager Gareth Southgate said.
Bellingham's goal was enough to send England to the top of Group C after Denmark drew 1-1 with Slovenia in an earlier game, with Christian Eriksen scoring three years after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field at the last Euros.
Harry Kane so nearly extended the lead in the second half when Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic pushed his far post header onto the underside of the bar.
England plays Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.
England was a beaten finalist at the last Euros, losing on penalties to Italy in the final three years ago. It is one of the favorites this time around. Serbia is playing in the Euros for the first time since 2000.
The buildup to the game had been overshadowed by concerns about violence between rival supporters. And some of those fears were realized when police rushed to separate brawling fans in Gelsenkirchen earlier in the day.
Social media footage showed men throwing chairs at each other outside a restaurant festooned with Serbian flags in the city.
England fans were soon celebrating once the game got underway after Bellingham’s decisive moment.
And he's got no problem with the song supporters have attached to him.
“I listen to the Beatles a lot. My style of music is a bit old so that is right up my street,” he said.
Over in Hamburg, Dutch fans were also partying and turned the city into a sea of orange. The Netherlands secured a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Poland in Group D thanks to Wout Weghorst’s late goal.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
'; var element = document.getElementById("sub_message"); element.appendChild(subMessage); console.log("Code Loaded!"); } else { var subMessage = document.createElement('div'); subMessage.id = 'sub-message-top'; subMessage.class = 'panel panel-default'; subMessage.style.backgroundColor = '#eee'; subMessage.style.borderRadius = '5px'; subMessage.style.padding = '10px'; subMessage.style.marginTop = '25px'; subMessage.style.marginBottom = '25px'; subMessage.innerHTML = '
Support local journalism.
Subscribe Today'; var element = document.getElementById("sub_message"); element.appendChild(subMessage); console.log("Code Loaded!"); }}
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Trending Video
Recommended for you
NEWSPAPER ADS
Trending Recipes
Submit news tip
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!
Write a letter
The Ottumwa Courier welcomes readers to submit letters to the editor to offer their take on the news impacting them. Let us know what you're thinking!
Obituaries
Proenneke, Tammy
Hovell, Shay
Tedrow, Wayne
DAVIS, Gaylord "Dave" Nov 19, 1945 - Jun 6, 2024
Bender, Margaret
Kozeliski, Thomas and Elaine
Teninty, Donald
- More Obituaries
Most Popular
- Articles
- Images
- Videos
Articles
- Prep softball: Nicoa's no-no lifts Cardinal to SCC lead
- Prep softball: Redettes edge Mustangs on final play
- Prep baseball: Big Reds set 'new standard' against Mustangs
- After early retirements, John Deere workforce down to 600 in Ottumwa
- OCSD brings changes to student transportation
- Prep baseball: Ottumwa wins Busch Stadium battle
- City to discuss possible golf cart usage
- Wind turbine blade recycling is underway in Iowa
- Prep baseball: Rockets, Mustangs pick up much-needed wins
- County to share Appanoose County engineer
Images
Videos
Get Breaking News
Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.