England secured a 2-0 victory over Serbia in their World Cup qualifying match, maintaining an unblemished record. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were the scorers, ensuring England's spot in the tournament.
The pre-match discussions centred on Thomas Tuchel's comments about Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden not playing alongside Harry Kane, with both players entering as substitutes in the second half.
Saka opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a volley after Serbia's goalkeeper, Predrag Rajkovic, failed to clear a ball from debutant Nico O'Reilly. England nearly doubled their lead when Nikola Milenkovic almost scored an own goal and Harry Kane missed a header. On the defensive end, Jordan Pickford denied Filip Kostic's attempt, while Dusan Vlahovic's backheel for Serbia narrowly missed.
Bellingham received a warm welcome from fans when he came on in the 65th minute. Foden replaced Kane as a false nine and nearly assisted Eze with a clever pass, but Eze's shot hit the crossbar. Later, Lazar Samardzic missed for Serbia before Foden set up Eze for England’s second goal. Eze curled a shot into the top-right corner from near the box's edge.
The match marked only the fifth occasion where two Arsenal players scored for England in one game. The last instance was when Saka and Emile Smith Rowe scored against San Marino in 2021. Saka has now contributed to goals in three consecutive matches for England, while Eze has scored in two successive games for the first time.
Foden was instrumental despite limited playtime, creating more chances than any other player with three opportunities and completing all his passes. His performance highlighted his ability to impact games even with restricted minutes on the field.
Serbia’s hopes of reaching the World Cup ended as Albania defeated Andorra 1-0, making it impossible for Serbia to secure a play-off spot by finishing second. This result confirmed England’s dominance in their qualifying group.
Job done at @WembleyStadium. It's now wins out of in @FIFAWorldCup qualifying pic.twitter.com/wAv2kyZ93BEngland (@England) November 13, 2025
With this win, England continues its impressive form heading into the World Cup. The contributions from key players like Saka and Eze demonstrate their growing importance to the national team’s success on the international stage.
