Shocking Statistics from the England vs Serbia EURO 2024 Match

Despite both teams boasting quality attacking players, the match between England vs Serbia turned out to be quite dull, with only one goal scored by the “Three Lions.”

The match, part of Group C in EURO 2024, took place early this morning (June 17th, Vietnam time) and produced some surprising statistics, unprecedented in previous matches.

According to Sofascore, the total expected goals (xG: a metric that assesses the likelihood of a scoring opportunity leading to a goal) for this encounter did not even reach 1 – an incredibly low figure for a football match.

Specifically, the England team managed only 5 shots during the 90 minutes, with 3 on target and 1 leading to Jude Bellingham’s goal. The total xG for the “Three Lions” in this match was 0.54.

Meanwhile, Serbia, despite not scoring, had more shots than their opponents. Dragan Stojkovic’s squad made 6 attempts; however, most of these were speculative shots that did not pose significant danger to Jordan Pickford’s goal.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic was the only Serbian player to hit the target, while his partner, captain Aleksandar Mitrovic, was the only other player to have a shot inside the opponent’s penalty area. Serbia’s total xG in this match was just 0.17.

After Bellingham’s early goal, England continued to control the game. The midfield duo of Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold effectively disrupted the opponent’s attacks, frustrating Serbia’s offense.

However, fans of attacking, entertaining football were likely disappointed as the high-priced forwards from both sides struggled to break through during the 90 minutes. Previous matches in this year’s EURO had all featured a total xG above 1, with much more thrilling action.

Nevertheless, such developments are not unfamiliar to England’s matches. Three years ago, in the delayed EURO 2020, the “Three Lions” went unbeaten in Group D, which included Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Scotland, with 2 wins and 1 draw, not conceding any goals while scoring just 2. Gareth Southgate’s team then advanced to the final, where they lost to Italy in a penalty shootout.