England delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Serbia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, marking a potential turning point in manager Thomas Tuchel's leadership. Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa, and Marc Guehi scored their first international goals, while captain Harry Kane opened the scoring with a header from Declan Rice's corner.
Despite Serbia's resilient performance at Euro 2024, England controlled the match, limiting their opponents to zero shots on target. Kane's late surge led to a red card for Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic, with Guehi converting the subsequent free kick. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford remained untested throughout the game.
"The energy has been higher, and the level has been higher," Kane told BBC radio. "Serbia are a good team, and we made them look average tonight." Tuchel praised the team's cohesion, calling it "teamwork in its purest form" with "right intensity in the right moments."
England now leads Group K by seven points, needing only a win and two draws from their remaining matches to secure World Cup qualification. The result underscores Tuchel's tactical adjustments and England's growing momentum ahead of the tournament.
