He knew that himself, of course. The England manager warned on the eve of the game that not every team would start like Germany, and made a point of stating the number of issues he has inherited going into Euro 2024.

Any tournament is a voyage of discovery in that regard, but Southgate still has a lot to figure out.

Serbia threatened to fight back in the second half having been outplayed across the first 45 minutes, but a crucial Jordan Pickford save ensured that Bellingham’s powerful early finish secured all three points.

Bellingham is next in front of the BBC cameras, and he says it was a good game against “a very tough side”.

“Very robust, strong and a big group of lads and it was important that we prepared well.

“The staff got it right. We prepared all week very well. We knew the roles we had to do. We try to keep to our own standards and try to do our own job. It’s important that we got off to a good start. Positive inside the camp and onto the next one.

“I have got used to getting into the box, getting wide and trying to do that. I got into that habit at Madrid and I wanted to carry my form into the Euros. It’s a great start for me personally to get my confidence up and to help the lads get the win is the most important thing.

“Jude Bellingham is made up of amazing people. It’s not just me. It’s because I have such a great support network.”

There will be concern that England lost their way and showed unsettling similar signs of some of their previous disappointments at major tournaments under Southgate, allowing Serbia to slowly creep into the game, but Guehi’s display alongside John Stones in defence was a major positive of the evening. Without one of their Southgate stalwarts in Harry Maguire, the Crystal Palace centre back may have solved a problem position.

One of the reasons England arrived at the Euros as one of the favourites is because it is the point this side has been building towards for so long, yet within it Guehi was an untried and untested part. At  23, Guehi was making just the 10th start and 12th appearance for his country when he was picked to face Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. The son of a church minister who moved to England from the Ivory Coast when he was one, now forms part of the defence that Southgate will hope can lead towards Berlin and back into the European Championship final next month.

Harry Kane was first to speak to BBC after the game. He says that England “knew it was going to be a tough game”.

“Serbia pose some good threats and have some good players. They will make it a battle for you and I think we dealt with it really well. There was a spell in the second half where we got camped in our box and we found it difficult to get out but overall I think we deserved the result, and it was an important win tonight.

“It’s a tough game. They are a good team and have good players, they have a good structure. We stood up to it well, a clean sheet in every game is important, and it is good to get the three points and [for us] to progress. It’s good that we got the win today.”

He goes on to call Jude Bellingham “an unbelievable player”, before adding that “each game will be different”.

“I think today for me it was more about holding the ball up, winning fouls and trying to see the game out like we did.”

England got their Euro 2024 campaign up and running with an opening win win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.

Jude Bellingham’s powerful header put Gareth Southgate’s side into an early advantage during a first half that they largely controlled, and while a second-half wobble gave their opponents hope, England held firm defensively to secure a valuable three points in Group C.

But which other players stood out in the win? Here’s how the England players rated in Gelsenkirchen:

England’s next game is against Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday, 20 June. It kicks off at 5pm BST.

For Serbia, their next match comes against Slovenia at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It begins at 2pm BST on 20 June.

The final round of fixtures in the group comes on Tuesday 25 June, with both games kicking off at 8pm BST.

Here’s a look at the Group C table after the first round of fixtures.

1 – England – 3 points, GD +1

2 – Denmark – 1 points, GD 0

3 – Slovenia – 1 points, GD 0

4 – Serbia – 0 points, GD -1