Marc Guehi took his share of the plaudits for helping England to keep a clean sheet and claim the full three points as they kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Serbia.
England were able to resist Serbia’s efforts to find an equaliser in response to Jude Bellingham’s early headed goal, which was provided by Arsenal winger Bukaya Saka, with Harry Kane later having a header of his own tipped onto the crossbar.
Crystal Palace centre-back Guehi earned praise for his composed performance at the back in his first ever outing at a major tournament, with England holding Serbia back from creating any serious clear-cut chances despite their dominating the game for long spells either side of the break.
Rio Ferdinand explains why Marc Guehi has a big part to play for England
BBC pundits Micah Richards and Rio Ferdinand were particularly effusive about the part 23-year-old Guehi played after being selected over more established options, with Richards saying: “He’s a joy to watch. I mention him being very calm…obviously going to the Euros it must be daunting at times, but he didn’t show it in his game at all.
“He’s a top centre-half, but the thing I liked about him was he just did the basics very well. He didn’t try to do anything out of the ordinary. As a centre-half you want to be solid, whether it was getting tight, whether it was playing out, whether it was anticipation…he was always on the front foot, ready.”
Ferdinand added: “Cool, calm, collected…he doesn’t want to be the superstar. He’s a very humble young man who’s just happy to be there, but he’s 23 years old and he’s captain of Crystal Palace already – a Premier League team – so he doesn’t look like he’s going to be fazed.
“That composure…I don’t like emotional defenders and he’s not one of those, which is good.”
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