Serbia Eyes Euro 2024 Upset Against England
As Serbia prepares to make their debut at the European Championship in its current format, centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic is drawing inspiration from Iceland’s recent victory over England at Wembley. The match against the Three Lions in Gelsenkirchen will be Serbia’s first appearance at a European Championship.
Speaking to the media, Vlahovic said, “No one is invincible. We looked at the match against Iceland and there are things that can be copied from them, because they beat them at Wembley in front of 80,000 people. Everything is possible. They are the favorites, maybe the biggest in the tournament, but we believe in ourselves and we are going step by step to present ourselves in the best light.“
Despite a lack of public expectation, Vlahovic believes Serbia’s gifted squad can turn the relative absence of pressure to their advantage. “It’s easier for us that there is not so much euphoria. Sometimes a bit of unreality comes out of the euphoria, [like] when we qualified and everyone thought we were going to the semi-finals in Qatar. This way we have a calmer environment and can prepare more serenely for the upcoming matches.“
While Vlahovic shares some stylistic traits with England’s Harry Kane, he is not keen on making direct comparisons. “He scored 44 goals this year and has scored over 300 goals in his career. He is, at the moment, if not the best striker in the world then one of the best. So I don’t want to put pressure on myself and don’t want to compare myself with players like this, because he has played at this level for around 10 years and is one of the best ever.“
The match in Gelsenkirchen has been deemed “high risk” by German authorities, who are alert to the possibility of up to 500 Serbian hooligans attempting to cause violence. However, Vlahovic remains focused on the task at hand, stating, “The atmosphere in the team is great and it can only get better, so we are all happy and can’t wait for the game to start.“
(Source: The Guardian)
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