England thumped hosts Serbia 5-0 in their UEFA World Cup Qualifier clash, in Belgrade, on Tuesday. Five different players registered their names on the score sheet, while Serbia played with a numerical disadvantage in the latter parts of the game, as Nikela Milankovic was shown a red in the 72nd minute.
England manager Thomas Tuchel stated that the win was a testament to the teamwork shown by the players and also reflected what the team is capable of going forward. The German coach has been off to a flying start in his current role, having led England to five wins in six matches during his stint so far.
“I think it was teamwork in its purest form. We helped each other out. We had the right intensity in the right moments. We put the work in to not allow one shot on target for a strong home team,” quipped Tuchel, during the post-match press conference.
“And, if you want to do this, you need to support each other. You need to play with discipline and keep the intensity up. This is what we did. And, the players did excellently. So full credit to the team,” he added.
Usual suspect Harry Kane opened the scoring for England in the 33rd minute, with youngster Noni Madueke doubling the lead, just two minutes later. Ezri Konsa netted the third, early in the second half, to put the game way past Serbia, in front of their home fans at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.
Rubbing salt to the wounds, Nikola Milenkovic was shown the marching orders in the 72nd minute. Marc Guehi and Marcus Rashford put the last nail in the coffin, scoring one each to make it 5-0!
It was arguably England’s toughest fixture in the group stage of the qualifiers. Despite the win, Tuchel remains grounded and is not ready to term this as a ‘perfect performance’, rather it was a ‘perfect result.’
“No, there's never a perfect performance. But, for today, it was a very good performance. I just can repeat myself. We had a brilliant week, and I told you yesterday what I see and I feel what I feel, and I'm just glad for the players that they could show to the fans, who were excellent by the way,” said Tuchel.
The manager constantly stressed on the fact that their camp helped a lot in bringing the players together and build camaraderie, and it was evident from the way they played and supported each other.
“And to you guys and our fans at home, what we're capable of and how this team worked together and was together in this camp. That's what I'm most happy for, and yeah was a very good performance with a perfect result,” added the manager.
Moreover, Tuchel is thrilled with the way his youngsters have performed. He heaped praise on the likes of Noni Madueke and Elliot Anderson, but pointed out that helping each other on the pitch was exactly the fuel that helped them achieve so big a win. To his credit, three of the five goals against Serbia were scored by youngsters.
“They never stopped working. They never stopped pressing.They never stopped defending. They never stopped helping each other out and that was that's how it should be,” remarked Tuchel.
With Tuesday’s win, the European giants held on to the pole position in Group K of the World Cup Qualifiers, with five wins in as many matches. Apart from Serbia, the group comprise of teams like Albania, Latvia and Andorra. England’s next group stage match will be against Latvia, on October 14.
England are firm favourties to get a direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup from this group. Unfortunately, their international trophy cabinet has been untouched for decades now, having come close to a UEFA Championship win in 2021, losing to Italy in the title clash, at the iconic Wembley Stadium, in London.
