Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden both came off the bench at Wembley, but England maintained their perfect World Cup qualifying record with a 2-0 win over Serbia thanks to a fine volley from Bukayo Saka and a fine finish from Eberechi Eze.
These goals were outstanding moments of quality on a rain-soaked night when England, already in the qualification ranks, were struggling to reach the high level they have reached in recent international competitions. However, Thomas Tuchel’s side improved markedly after intervening midway through the first half following his team’s lackluster and sloppy start to the game.
Bukayo Saka puts England ahead against Serbia
England had led 3-0 by half-time in their previous three international matches, including against Serbia in Belgrade, but were surprisingly slow to break through the blocks here until Jordan Pickford went down for treatment in the 23rd minute and Tuchel’s impromptu team talk turned things around.
With Harry Kane dropping deep to turn into a playmaker and Declan Rice pushing further forward, Saka and Marcus Rashford suddenly looked threatening. As well as Saka’s volley, there were further chances before half-time, with Kane’s header going wide and Rodgers going wide after Rashford and Rice failed to capitalize on the counter.
However, they conceded a goal in the second half, with Dusan Vlahovic flicking it wide and into the roof of the net. Serbia were becoming increasingly desperate and were looking for an equalizing goal to salvage their World Cup hopes. However, this result, coupled with Albania’s win against Andorra, means they no longer have any chance of finishing in the top two in Group K.
Eberechi Eze celebrates after scoring England’s second goal against Serbia
Looking at the statistics it looks good for England. Pickford has yet to concede a goal this season, extending his record for England to 10 games without conceding a goal. But on the other side of the pitch, it will be interesting to see how Tuchel utilizes all his attacking options.
Bellingham and Foden sat on the bench with Tuchel supporting Morgan Rodgers in No. 10, but only joined the fray after an hour. Foden missed a chance to head wide on a false nine, but made his mark in the closing stages, chipping in a great pass to put Eze’s shot on the bar before assisting his England team-mate’s second goal.
Meanwhile, Bellingham was excited to play Foden, like a player with a point to prove. There were some exciting combinations with Reece James, but in the end the Real Madrid man became frustrated. If anything, it was a night where Rodgers once again showed why he is liked by Tuchel, despite competing with his more prominent team-mates for 10th place. This is a battle that will continue until the World Cup.
Tuchel happy with passing ‘rigorous’ test
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After the win over Serbia, England manager Thomas Tuchel praised Phil Foden’s performance since his return.
England national team manager Thomas Tuchel:
“We wanted quality and impact and new energy from the bench and we got that. We created chances, half-chances and scored.
“We had time to defend until the end to keep the clean sheet. A special compliment to Jordan and the back four today. In the second half, our pressing wasn’t always right and we allowed Serbia to run away. We had to put in a strong performance to get the clean sheet and win the game.”
“It was a difficult game, a complicated game. We had to adapt and be flexible. Maybe we lacked a little bit of precision with our last passes throughout the game. Otherwise, we could have been a little more calm, created more and scored sooner.”
“But I liked it, it continued to be an intense and tense game. We could see their quality. I’m happy with this test. It was a test. The attitude was right.”
Analysis: Lessons learned from England’s victory over Serbia
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at Wembley:
“So what did we learn there?
“England don’t play strikers. Harry Kane played like a deep midfielder. Phil Foden came on as a false number nine. Many called for Danny Welbeck to support Kane, but do England need that absolute number nine?”
“Tuchel can change things mid-game. England were miserable in the first 25 minutes. The England manager brought the group in with a tactical time-out and suddenly the team was much better. Rice’s play was higher. Rashford and Saka were more involved.”
“Anderson seems to be playing the role. So many smart, sharp balls came from England’s defensive midfielders. That number six role was his to lose, with just five minutes given to Adam Wharton.”
“There is competition at centre-back. Ezri Konsa has had some last-minute challenges but looks good. Who will fill those two positions between John Stones and Marc Guech?”
“Nico O’Reilly also seems to have a role to play. The Manchester City left-back didn’t look out of place on his England debut. He played for 90 minutes. Should we lose that position too?”
“And Bellingham hasn’t done that yet. Still feeling the shoulder injury? Not up to speed? Not enough confidence? Rodgers looked better than him here.”
Foden: My smile is back!
England’s Phil Foden told ITV:
“I’m very happy to be back in the team. We have great players and I’m enjoying it. I thought we did well and created some chances, but we were unlucky not to take some chances. Overall, I have to be happy with the impact.”
As for his role as a striker, he said: “I’ll play wherever the manager puts me. I can play multiple positions and I was happy to come in as a false nine. It was fun. Maybe it will bring out the best in me, but only time will tell.”
“There are quality players on the pitch. I know there is pressure to perform for Man City, but I just have to keep my head down and earn my place. The smiles are back.”
The 2026 World Cup draw will be held on December 5th in Washington.
President Trump will join FIFA President Gianni Infantino to determine group stage brackets at the John F. Kennedy Center, the performing arts venue where Trump is chairman.
When announcing the lottery venue at the White House in August, President Trump said the World Cup was “the biggest event in sports,” while Infantino declared the 104 games would be like “the 104th Super Bowl.”
The draw will take place from 12pm local time (5pm UK time).
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
This will be the 23rd tournament.
