England 2-0 Serbia result: Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze score as Three Lions' flawless World Cup Qualifying run continues

England’s extraordinary record in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup continued as they made it seven wins from seven with a 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, denying the visitors a chance to finish runners-up in the group in the process.

England manager Thomas Tuchel opted to continue with Morgan Rogers at No. 10 from the start, despite Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden returning to the squad, and the Aston Villa midfielder was impressive again as The Three Lions largely controlled the first half at a subdued Wembley Stadium.

It was Bukayo Saka who gave England the lead on 29 minutes, cushioning in an excellent volleyed shot from the right side of the box after an effort by debutant Nico O’Reilly had looped up to him.

And both teams wasted chances for the following hour, with Serbia increasingly coming into the game as the second half progressed.

Tuchel turned to his bench midway through the second period, introducing Bellingham, Foden, Eze and Jordan Henderson, with Adam Wharton being the fifth change late on.

And the energy off the bench saw England create several chances later on as the game opened up, with Serbia knowing that they needed a positive result to keep their chances of claiming a play-off spot alive.

However, England kept Serbia at bay, continuing their flawless defensive record with a seventh consecutive clean sheet in qualifying. And it was England who bagged the late goal on the counter, with Foden, playing in an experimental striker role, feeding Eze for a lovely finish.

Serbia’s defeat, coupled with a win for Albania in Andorra, means it will be the Albanians who finish second in the group and head into the play-offs, although Serbia could still technically join them depending on the final permutations based on Nations League rankings.

England’s Group K campaign comes to a close on Sunday when they travel to Albania for a game that has little at stake but will still see plenty of scope for honing the details of Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

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England go into Sunday’s final group game with a positive goal difference of +20, and remarkably they are yet to concede a goal in Group K after seven matches. Serbia went close, creating some decent chances, but the England defence continues to look solid regardless of what combination of centre-backs Tuchel opts to use (tonight it was the impressive Ezri Konsa paired with John Stones).

The final whistle goes and England have made it seven wins from seven in qualifying.

Eze and Bellingham attempt to link up on the edge of the box, and the latter’s run in behind forces Serbia into a rushed clearance behind for a corner. It’s been a brave effort from the visitors tonight, but they’ve been outclassed a touch.

England wrap up the win and it’s a gem of a finish from Eberechi Eze, who has been excellent on the left since coming on. Bellingham starts the move from deep, finding Foden, who carries the ball forward with support on either side of him. He waits for the right moment and then lays it off perfectly for Eze, giving the Arsenal man just enough weight on the pass to take the shot on first time, curling a lovely effort into the far corner. That’s a classy goal. VAR checks for a potential foul by Bellingham in the build-up, but it’s not enough and the goal stands. 2-0.

James is caught napping at right back again and Radonjic races in behind. It looks like he’s going to be clean through, but Konsa darts back and makes a crucial challenge, sending the ball back towards his own goal where Pickford sprawls to take it.

A brilliant clipped pass from Foden loops up for Eze in the box, who attempts an audacious flicked finish as he jumps to meet it. The ball clips the bar though and loops away form the supporting attackers, allowing Serbia to clear.

England have lost control of midfield a bit since the changes, and we do finally get to see Adam Wharton, who replaces Anderson. This is Wharton’s first England appearance in a year and a half.

Vlahovic has a defender on him as the cross picks him out on the edge of the box, but he still manages to get a shot away and curls his effort fractionally off target. He was looking to pick out the top corner there and very nearly pulled it off.

England play some slick stuff on the break again, but the final ball from Bellingham is slightly overhit for Saka and it runs through to the keeper.

England are getting a bit slack here, and Serbia maybe should be level. A deflection sends the ball looping across the box, where Samardzic meets it and volleys fractionally wide. It turns out there was an offside in the build-up so it wouldn’t have counted, but that’s a couple of times that the visitors have opened England up in this second half.

Serbia know that they need a goal to keep their play-off hopes alive, and as a result there is space opening up for England on the counter. James threads a lovely ball through to Saka, whose cross is fractionally out of reach of Foden and Eze in the centre. The subs have brought good energy since coming on, which is a result of the competitive environment that Tuchel has developed.

Serbia sit off in the final third and Henderson takes advantage, whipping in a peach of a cross. Foden, who had drifted into space well, meets it, but he doesn’t get his header right and sends his effort off target. That was a good chance.

Jude Bellingham isn’t used to playing second fiddle, but that’s what he’s had to do recently for England, with Morgan Rogers having played so well in his position. But, since coming on, Bellingham has been electric as he looks to win his starting spot back. A clever one-two with James on the edge of the box opens up Serbia, but the final ball from Bellingham doesn’t quite reach a teammate.

I don’t want to join in with the usual Henderson pile-on, as it’s clear that he is a valued part of this squad and is firmly in contention for one of the replacement places in midfield for the World Cup squad. But it would have been interesting to see how Adam Wharton got on against a decent Serbian side here. All it would take is an injury or two and England would be left really short in central midfield, so it’s a bit disappointing not to see one of the contenders given a test run,

Eze has his full-back worried for a second with a clever bit of skill down the left. It’s going to be difficult for him to jump top of the pecking order on that flank, but Eze could strengthen his claims for a squad spot by showing versatility.

Some big names leave the field for England, as Kane, Rice, Rogers and Rashford make way, with Foden, Bellingham, Henderson and Eze coming on. It looks like Foden’s playing in that false nine role, with Eze out on the left. It’s good experimentation in a squad short on striker options.

England get a bit lucky as Kostic gets in behind James and Stones down England’s right and crosses for Vlahovic. It’s slightly behind the Serbia striker, but he flicks the ball towards the far corner, only to send his effort fractionally wide. That was very nearly the first goal conceded by England in this qualifying campaign.