Euro 2020

Euro 2020 day three: Raheem Sterling fires England past Croatia

| 13 June 2021

Euro 2020 day three: Raheem Sterling fires England past Croatia

Gareth Southgate's side saw off Croatia, while there were also wins for Austria and Holland.

England won their opening match at the European Championships for the first time with a 1-0 Euro 2020 Group D victory over Croatia at Wembley.

Raheem Sterling, who has now been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 17 England matches with 13 goals and six assists, converted man-of-the-match Kalvin Phillips' pass early in the second half to get Gareth Southgate's side off to the ideal start.

England's players left the pitch to a chorus of 1996 anthem 'Football's Coming Home' from the majority of the 22,500 fans inside the stadium.

In Group C, North Macedonia's first appearance at a major tournament ended in a 3-1 defeat against Austria, who recorded their first win at a Euros, while Holland, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup and Euros, made up for lost time with an entertaining 3-2 win over Ukraine.

Tweet of the day

Hey Liam https://t.co/jJFtN13AG4

— Jude Bellingham (@BellinghamJude) June 13, 2021

England substitute Jude Bellingham, who set a new record for the youngest player to feature in the tournament's history at 17 years and 349 days, appears to have a celebrity fan.

Arnautovic on the Mark

Marko Arnautovic's (right) late goal in the 3-1 over North Macedonia was his 27th for his country, meaning he is one short of moving into joint third in their all-time list — **Marko Arnautovic**'s late goal in the 3-1 over North Macedonia was his 27th for his country, meaning he is one short of moving into joint third in their all-time list (Robert Ghement/AP).

Quote of the day

Holland almost blow return to the big stage

Holland's players celebrate after scoring a second goal against Ukraine — Relief all round in Amsterdam as Holland snatch a late win (Olaf Kraak/AP)

Holland squandered a two-goal lead on their return to major tournament football after a seven-year absence, only to score an 85th-minute winner to beat Ukraine 3-2 in Amsterdam.

Stat attack

🇲🇰 June 2001: 17-year-old Goran Pandev makes his international debut 😎

🇲🇰 June 2021: 37-year-old Goran Pandev scores on his EURO debut as North Macedonia make their first ever appearance at a major finals 😱#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/eoY9ei3hnQ

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 13, 2021

North Macedonia's Goran Pandev played in his first major tournament 7,312 days after his international debut. The Genoa forward celebrated by scoring his 38th international goal a month before his 38th birthday – unfortunately his side lost 3-1 to Austria

Up next?

June 14:
Scotland v Czech Republic (Group D, Glasgow, 1400)
Poland v Slovakia (Group E, St Petersburg, 1700)
Spain v Sweden (Group E, Seville 2000)