England launched their bid for Euro 2020 glory with a 1-0 victory over Croatia on Sunday, while the Netherlands defeated Ukraine 3-2 in an exciting meeting in Group C, and Northern Macedonia lost 3-1 to Austria in their first match in a big tournament as an independent nation.
It was a first-class night for the home team at the sun-baked Wembley.
It is the first time in ten attempts that England wins its opening match in a European Championship.
And Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling scored his first goal in a major tournament.
England thus got a kind of revenge for their defeat against Croatia in the semifinals 2018.
Sterling’s sharp finish in the second half was enough for the home team to send the Covid-reduced Wembley crowd to 22,500 homes.
Home games
Sterling justified manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to keep faith in him by scoring the only goal just before the hour.
“I always said that if I played at Wembley in a big tournament, I would score. I had to score in my backyard and I was happy to do so,” Sterling told the BBC, referring to the fact that he grew up in the shadow. of the famous London Stadium.
Southgate said: “I’m so happy with Raheem, he’s had this witch in the tournaments. I felt he was dangerous all day. Right from the start he looked like a threat.”
England, who are trying to end a 55-year wait for a big trophy, play all three group games at their home in London. If they top Group D, they will also play there in the 16s, while London is also the venue for both the semi-finals and the final on 11 July.
Holland and Austria go off the mark
The Netherlands, back in a major tournament for the first time since 2014, defeated Ukraine 3-2 in a Group C meeting in Amsterdam.
Dutch captain Georginio Wijnaldum placed the hosts at the start of the second half before Wout Weghorst doubled his advantage.
Ukraine equalized with two quick goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk, but a nickel from Denzel Dumfries five minutes from time gave Frank de Boer a side victory.
Northern Macedonia lost 3-1 to Austria in their first match in a major tournament as an independent nation in Bucharest, despite an equalizer from 37-year-old captain Goran Pandev.
Covid continues to worry
Coronavirus, which delayed the tournament for a year, is still showing a major headache.
Portugal defender Joao Cancelo has tested positive for Covid-19 and is out for the rest of the competition, the defending champions announced.
Diogo Dalot has replaced Manchester City’s right back in the Portuguese squad, with the owners opening their Group F campaign against Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday.
The Russian, Spanish and Swedish troops have also suffered positive tests.