England rout Serbia 5-0 in Belgrade as Tuchel's side silence critics

England produced a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Serbia at the Rajko Mitić Stadium on Tuesday, delivering Thomas Tuchel a timely response to mounting criticism and moving seven points clear at the top of Group K in World Cup 2026 qualifying.

Harry Kane opened the scoring with a 33rd-minute header and Noni Madueke added his first England goal two minutes later. Ezri Konsa made it 3-0 early in the second half, Marc Guehi headed in the fourth 15 minutes from time, and Marcus Rashford converted a stoppage‑time penalty after Ollie Watkins was fouled. Jordan Pickford kept a clean sheet, his seventh consecutive appearance without conceding for England, equalling a record shared with Gordon Banks.

Tuchel's selection of several younger players was rewarded. Noni Madueke, playing on the right, produced a high-quality finish for his first international goal and was named player of the match by BBC Sport readers, who gave him an average rating of 7.96. Morgan Rogers impressed in the number 10 role, and Elliot Anderson again anchored midfield; the BBC assessment said Anderson looks to have "cemented his place" in the squad.

England dominated possession and territorial exchanges from the start, forcing Serbia into repeated clearances and limiting the hosts' attacking threat. Reece James provided width and attacking intent from right back, while Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa were steady at the back; Konsa also scored his first England goal. Declan Rice, operating in a more advanced role, supplied two set-piece deliveries that led to goals.

Serbia were reduced to 10 men late in the match when captain Nikola Milenković was sent off for a heavy challenge on Kane 18 minutes from time. By then the result was already beyond doubt, and the home crowd — which began the night hostile and booed the national anthem — was largely silenced as England extended their lead.

Tuchel made use of his bench to maintain momentum: Djed Spence came on for Reece James on 69 minutes to make his international debut, Marcus Rashford replaced Anthony Gordon the same minute and coolly converted the late penalty, Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins also entered the fray. The final England lineup read: Pickford; James (Spence), Konsa, Guehi, Livramento; Anderson, Rice (Henderson); Madueke (Bowen), Rogers, Gordon (Rashford); Kane (Watkins).

Match facts from BBC Sport recorded the goals at 33' (Kane), 35' (Madueke), 52' (Konsa), 75' (Guehi) and 90' (Rashford, pen). Serbia manager Dragan Stojković named an XI including Djordje Petrović in goal and Dusan Vlahović and Sergej Milinković-Savić among the options; the hosts struggled to create clear-cut chances and conceded multiple times from open play and set pieces.

BBC Sport's individual ratings gave high marks to Rice (8.5) and Anderson (8), with several other starters receiving scores in the mid-to-high sevens. The Serbia lineup received lower marks from readers, with goalkeeper Petrović averaging 4.31 in user ratings and key attackers posting similarly modest scores.

The performance provided immediate breathing room for Tuchel, whose tenure as England manager has been under scrutiny since his appointment last October. Reports of fan discontent have circulated after a run of unconvincing displays in qualifying, but England's fluency, penetration and control in Belgrade addressed many of those concerns. Observers noted the team's combination of youthful energy and defensive organisation, and the result strengthened England's position in the group with qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America increasingly likely.

England will use the remainder of the qualifying campaign to fine-tune squad selection ahead of the tournament. Tuchel said after the match that the victory was "a collective performance" and praised the contribution of younger players who have forced their way into contention. Serbia must regroup and reassess ahead of their next fixtures as they seek to recover from a home humbling.

Statistically, the result leaves England with five wins from five Group K matches and a significant goal difference advantage. Pickford's clean sheet run across consecutive appearances now equals a long-standing England record, and the variety of goal sources underlined the team's depth: goals came from a forward, full-backs and centre-backs as well as a late substitute.

Tuchel and his squad will now turn their focus to upcoming qualifying fixtures and the broader task of building a tournament-ready squad for next summer's World Cup. For now, Tuesday night's emphatic win in Belgrade has quelled immediate criticism and given England clear momentum heading into the final phase of qualification.