England stamped their authority on Group K of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a spectacular 5-0 win over Serbia on Tuesday night. Manager Thomas Tuchel's side combined tactical discipline with attacking flair to deliver a result that could define their qualifying campaign.
Harry Kane opened the scoring with a towering header from Declan Rice's corner, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all celebrated their first goals for England, while a late strike sealed the emphatic victory and left Serbia shell-shocked.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford enjoyed a rare quiet evening, not facing a single shot on target as England registered 12. With Nikola Milenkovic sent off for denying a clear scoring opportunity, Guehi converted the resulting free kick to make it 4-0 before a fifth goal wrapped up the rout.
England now sit seven points clear at the top of Group K, with games in hand over their rivals. Just one more win or two draws from the remaining fixtures would secure qualification for the World Cup.
"Serbia are a good team, and we made them look average tonight," captain Harry Kane told BBC Radio. Manager Thomas Tuchel added: "I think it was teamwork in its purest form. We helped each other out, we had the right intensity in the right moments."
Reference(s):
England crush Serbia 5-0 for a statement win under Thomas Tuchel
cgtn.com
