It was the night when Thomas Tuchel located the ignition point for his England tenure, when all of the grumbling that had followed him to Belgrade seemed to float away. The head coach needed a result to allow his team to take control of this World Cup qualifying group – and a performance, too, after the flatness of much of what had gone before.
Tuchel got both, his players a class apart from the first whistle, Serbia left to look dishevelled, their problems everywhere. It is a troubling moment for their country, anti-government protests gaining in intensity and there were chants of that nature here. Dragan Stojkovic, the manager, is under heavy fire. Where now for him after this?
Serbia offered next to nothing, they finished with 10 men after Nikola Milenkovic’s last-man hack on Harry Kane in the 72nd minute and the truth was that the scoreline could have been even heavier. England’s game management cut through the sideshows; what a pleasure it was for the travelling fans to see only smoothness, zero worry lines.
The stars were Morgan Rogers and Noni Madueke, the former providing the moment of the match with his assist for the latter to make it 2-0. Kane opened the scoring with his 74th international goal while the central defenders Ezri Konsa and Marc Guéhi both scored their first at this level. The icing on the cake came when Marcus Rashford, on as a substitute, rolled home a penalty. England’s 100% qualifying record endures under Tuchel while they have still to concede. The job to reach the finals feels done.
It was hot and oppressive in Belgrade and England’s players were under no illusions as to what was required as they made the long walk through the hot and oppressive tunnel before kick-off. It takes about 90 seconds and it is not just the graffiti on the curved roof and the presence of riot police that sets the scene. The banging noises from the fans above provides one of the most notorious welcomes in European football.
Thomas Tuchel before a match in which England produced their best display of his tenure. Photograph: David Balogh/The FA/Getty Images
Tuchel had hoped for a Serbia team that wanted to play, although his counterpart, Stojkovic, surprised him by starting only one striker and a few more defensive players than expected. They were resolutely 5-4-1 out of possession. The announcement of Stojkovic’s name beforehand was whistled by the home fans; they do not like his support of the government. By half-time, those fans were calling for his head.
There was so much going on. The chant of “Serbia, Kosovo” was first audible in the seventh minute from the home seats, referencing Serbia’s refusal to recognise the latter’s independence. There was somebody in the stands who repeatedly blew a whistle, impersonating the referee. Which was disorientating. And there was someone else who shone a laser in the eyes of the England players. He was ordered to desist in the 42nd minute by the person on the PA system.
England settled quickly, showing personality in possession. It was clear at the outset that they had brought the quality, the greater reputations. The reality of this Serbia team is that only a handful of them play regularly for teams in a top-five European league. Local expectations had been low. England set about asserting themselves and by the 36th minute, they had taken control, subduing the crowd.
The goal for 2-0 was a beauty. It was all about the skill and vision of Rogers, who Tuchel had preferred to Eberechi Eze, and the cut and thrust of Madueke. Rogers saw the run of his teammate and, when Elliott Anderson fizzed a low pass up to him, his first-time flick added up to the most eye-catching of through‑balls. Madueke turned on the after-burners to get away from his marker and the dinked finish was true.
Harry Kane’s header opens the scoring in Serbia. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA
England dominated the first half by every metric. It was encouraging to see them create, to obey Tuchel’s orders to move the ball quickly and not become disheartened when the early chances did not go in. It was Kane, inevitably, who broke the deadlock with a precision header from Declan Rice’s outswinging corner. The goal had been advertised.
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Rogers was in the mood, ditto Anthony Gordon the left. The latter had come in for Rashford. Rice shot at Djordje Petrovic early on after a nice move while Gordon twice worked the goalkeeper. There was also the moment when Rogers turned to release Madueke and he almost made something happen for Kane.
It had been unusual to see that Serbia did not warm up on the pitch before kick-off; they got ready on the little training ground that is adjacent to the sprawling main bowl. It only served to make their eventual entrance more theatrical – and loud. Were the anthems of each country respected by the rival sets of supporters? No. It was all a part of it.
England were determined to master the occasion and they maintained their focus after the interval. Serbia looked broken. Rice had dragged a shot off target after a Rogers pass and the third goal followed a low Gordon blast, which Petrovic could only parry. Guéhi reacted quickly to smuggle the ball across goal and if Kane could not quite get there, Konsa could, ramming home at the far post.
It was the prompt for more anti‑Stojkovic chants from the Serbia supporters. It was not long before they had some venomous anti‑government rhetoric and, on 65 minutes, it threatened to turn nasty in the stands, a fight breaking out in a Serbia area and the riot police moving in to restore order.
Milenkovic had to go for his lunge at Kane and in the closing stages Tuchel gave Djed Spence his debut, Guéhi converted from a Rice cross as the Serbia defence switched off and Rashford scored after Strahinja Erakovic had upended another substitute, Ollie Watkins.