England concluded their penultimate World Cup qualifier with a convincing 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley Stadium, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze sealing the win. Despite having already secured their place at the 2026 tournament, Thomas Tuchel's side delivered a professional performance for the home crowd.
Goals and Key Performances
Bukayo Saka answered his manager's call for more goals in spectacular fashion, breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute with a wonderful volleyed shot that found the back of the net. The Arsenal winger's finish provided the highlight of a first half that England largely controlled.
The introduction of substitutes Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden in the second half injected fresh energy into the England attack. It was the Manchester City playmaker who made the decisive contribution from the bench, sliding a perfectly weighted pass for Eberechi Eze to seal the victory in the 90th minute.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford recorded his ninth consecutive competitive clean sheet, extending his remarkable record-breaking run between the posts for the national team.
Tuchel's Selection Headaches
The England manager's team selection raised eyebrows, with both Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden left out of the starting line-up. Tuchel has previously claimed that the pair, along with Harry Kane, cannot all fit into the same side together.
Marcus Rashford continued his excellent club form for Barcelona with an impressive display on the left side of midfield, emerging as arguably England's best player on a night of otherwise measured football. His resurgence presents Tuchel with another compelling option as the World Cup approaches.
Harry Kane, while praised by Tuchel as being "in the form of his life," again demonstrated his tendency to drop deep in search of the ball, often acting as his team's best passer despite being England's primary goalscoring threat.
World Cup Preparations Intensify
With only one more England camp scheduled before next summer's tournament in North America, competition for places is intensifying. Morgan Rogers started in the number 10 role but was replaced by Jude Bellingham after an hour, with the Real Madrid midfielder receiving an enthusiastic reception from the Wembley crowd.
The future of Chelsea's Cole Palmer in the squad appears uncertain, with the gifted playmaker facing fierce competition for the advanced midfield positions and Tuchel showing reluctance to deploy him in a wide role.
Despite the match being a dead rubber qualification game, the England supporters remained engaged throughout, staying with their team until Eze's late goal secured the deserved victory.
