Gareth Southgate’s England are the joint second favorites to win the Euro 2024 following the Three Lions’ 7-0 drubbing of North Macedonia. The best betting sites slashed the odds of England lifting their first trophy since the 1966 FIFA World Cup, pricing them the same as Germany and slightly longer than France.
England currently tops Group C, having won all four opening fixtures. Southgate’s stars have the best goal difference of any team, thanks to scoring 15 times and conceding only once, that solitary goal against coming in a 2-1 victory over Roberto Mancini’s Italy.
Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium hosted England in their latest Group C fixture against North Macedonia, a team not expected to qualify for Euro 2024 but one that should have proven a much sterner test than Malta, who England defeated 4-0 on June 16. Southgate pushed Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold into the right of a midfield three alongside Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson. That trio provided cover and ammunition for a front three of Bakayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and captain Harry Kane.
A Shaky Start Before a Superb Performance
England initially struggled to break down a dogged Macedonian defense, but Kane opened the scoring in the 29th minute, his 57th goal in an England shirt, which relieved the pressure on Southgate’s men, gave them the freedom to attack freely, and the floodgates opened.
Arsenal’s talismanic forward, Saka, was unstoppable at times. The youngster suffered horrendous racist abuse after missing a crucial spot kick during the penalty shootout against Italy in the Euro 2020 final, but he is now the nation’s sweetheart. Saka put England 2-0 ahead on 38 minutes, with Rashford making it 3-0 just before the teams went into the halftime break.
Saka continued to impress and scored his second only two minutes after the restart before completing a first career hattrick on 51 minutes. Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips found the back of the net on 64 minutes to make it 6-0, with Kane bagging his second and England’s seventh on 73 minutes.
Southgate’s team is playing with attacking freedom rarely seen by loyal England supporters. It is difficult to believe this is essentially the same squad that scored only once in five games during last season’s Nation League. There is a real sense of togetherness within the squad, who look to make amends for losing 1-2 to France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Is England Worthy of Joint Second-Favorite Status of Euro 2024?
On current form, it is challenging to make a case against England. They are playing with confidence, scoring goals for fun, and look solid at the back; all the ingredients of a title-winning team. However, an Italian team in transition aside, England has yet to play anyone of note during Euro 2024 qualification, so it is difficult to judge their Euro 2024 chances accurately.
England does not play again until they take on Ukraine at a neutral venue on September 9 before taking on arch-rivals Scotland in an international friendly three days later. Indeed, yet-to-be-scheduled friendlies aside, England probably will not play any top-tier team until the Euro 2024 finals, which they are all but guaranteed to reach.
If, and it is always a big if when England is involved, Southgate can keep the feet of his young stars firmly on the floor while allowing their confidence to continue building, and he has a fully fit squad to choose from after the completion of another long and arduous season, there is every chance England could lift the European Championships trophy on July 14. In fact, this could be England’s best chance of ending a 58-year wait for some silverware.
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