Euro 2020: England gain revenge for Moscow heartache as they see off Croatia at Wembley

England gained revenge for their defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-final in Moscow three summers ago as a goal from Raheem Sterling was enough to give Gareth Southgate's men three points in their Euro 2020 Group D opener.

Just as they did at Luzhniki Stadium in 2018, England were the first to hit the scoreboard when Sterling prodded home from close range following some good work from Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips midway through the second half - but this time Southgate's charges didn't allow Croatia an opportunity back into the game as they did in their heartbreaking World Cup defeat to the Croats. 

The game kicked off shortly after a chorus of jeers echoed around Wembley in response to England's insistence on taking a knee prior to kick off, but the boo boys were mostly drowned out by sections of England fans who opted to cheer in response.

One things were underway Croatia, guided by the talismanic talents of Luka Modric in midfield, rarely mustered any real threats to Jordan Pickford's goal in the sweltering heat at London's Wembley Stadium, while the likes of Ante Rebic and Marcelo Brozovic failed to assert themselves against Southgate's young team. 

Despite the successful start to England's campaign, there will be concerns as to the fitness of skipper Harry Kane. The wantaway Tottenham striker was withdrawn early in favor of Borussia Dortmund's teenage star Jude Bellingham late on after struggling to make any real meaningful impact on the game. Incidentally, that moment created a slice of European Championships history as Bellingham, 17, became the youngest player to ever appear in the tournament during its history. 

Spurs striker Kane's ineffectiveness upload also stifled the two men playing off him, Phil Foden and Sterling, with neither of the Manchester City men being particularly impressive, with the notable exception of Sterling's solitary goal. 

But if Kane was under-par, the likes of Mason Mount and Declan Rice impressed throughout while Phillips was also excellent, and appeared to be the consensus choice for Man of the Match.

"It feels good to score," said goalscorer Sterling afterwards. "I always said if I played at Wembley at a major tournament I had to score and it's great to finally do that.

"Have I justified my selection? ...I'm trying.

"It's great to get off to a win and now we have other games to look forward to. It's been a long season for me but I couldn't wait to get here and get started with England. With England, I knew it would be a positive one."

Southgate, meanwhile, also paid tribute to his troops and their successful start to the campaign.

"It's lovely to have given our fans and our country a really enjoyable afternoon. The players dealt with the big occasion really well. Right from the start, incredible heat, they played well and settled early in the game," said the England coach.

"We are going to need all [our] attacking players through the tournament. We can make changes and we will need to. The key was to get pressure on Croatia's midfield players and we managed to do that. That limited some of the supply and the defenders dealt with the longer balls well and read the game well. It was a day when everybody who got onto the pitch performed well and that was set up by the whole group."

There was certainly enough evidence on show to suggest that England are capable of progressing towards the business end of Euro 2020. Tournament football is largely about momentum, and their opening day win - which, incidentally, is England's first-ever win in their opening fixture at a European Championships - means that the Three Lions are now off to their best-ever start in the competition.

Southgate's men will have a few days rest ahead of their Battle of Britain showdown with Scotland on Friday, but know that a win against their northern rivals will secure passage to the knockout stages of the tournament. 

From there, it's anyone guess.