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Euro 2020 day three: Raheem Sterling fires England past Croatia

Euro 2020 day three: Raheem Sterling fires England past Croatia
© Reuters
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

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

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)

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