England’s preparations for the UEFA European Championship began on a high note with a 3-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina at St James’ Park, marking their first victory of 2024.
In their inaugural encounter, England took just nine minutes to carve out a clear opportunity. Cole Palmer, making his full debut, found space and delivered a through ball to Ollie Watkins, but Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj quickly closed the angle to make the save.
Eberechi Eze, also starting for the first time, posed significant problems for the visitors’ deep-lying defence. Vasilj was again called into action just before the half-hour mark, denying Ezri Konsa’s effort following a corner.
England dominated much of the first half, though a sloppy pass from Marc Guehi nearly gifted Bosnia a goal. Haris Hajradinovic intercepted the ball but saw his shot deflected narrowly wide by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
After the break, England maintained their territorial dominance but struggled to create clear chances. This changed just before the hour mark when debutant Nikola Katic fouled Konsa inside the box. A VAR review led Norwegian referee Rohit Saggi to award a penalty, which Palmer converted for his first international goal.
Substitutes Harry Kane, James Maddison, and Jack Grealish added fresh impetus, increasing the pressure on Bosnia. Despite Kane’s multiple attempts, it took until five minutes from time for England to add a second goal. A precise cross from Grealish was expertly volleyed into the bottom corner by Alexander-Arnold.
England sealed the victory with a third goal shortly after. During a goal-mouth scramble, Kane capitalized on a loose ball to score.
This win, England’s first in four matches, sets them up well for their final warm-up game against Iceland. They remain unbeaten in Newcastle since 1933, while Bosnia & Herzegovina suffer their first defeat against a British side this century.
