England continued their flawless FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2–0 victory over Serbia at Wembley, extending their tally to 20 goals scored and none conceded in this cycle while knocking the visitors out of contention.

Having dismantled Serbia 5–0 in the reverse fixture, many England supporters arrived expecting another goal-filled outing. But Serbia altered their setup to disrupt the hosts, and for much of the early stages they succeeded. England struggled to find any rhythm, and Bukayo Saka’s skewed effort high and wide encapsulated a sluggish opening for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Saka, however, soon made amends. Just before the half-hour mark, Nico O’Reilly’s deflected strike looped into his path, and the Arsenal winger guided a superb controlled volley into the far corner to give England the breakthrough.

England pushed for a second before the interval. Declan Rice—renowned for his set-piece quality at club level—produced a pinpoint delivery to pick out an unmarked Harry Kane at the back post, but the captain headed down into the turf and over, drawing gasps around Wembley. Another teasing delivery, this time from Reece James, created a further opening, but Morgan Rogers headed wide.

News filtered through that Albania had taken the lead against Andorra, putting Serbia under pressure to chase the game earlier than planned. They nearly levelled through a swift counterattack when Filip Kostić slipped in Dušan Vlahović, whose clever flick drifted just wide of the post.

A flurry of England substitutions after the restart briefly disrupted their cohesion, allowing Serbia to grow into the contest. Lazar Samardžić came closest to punishing them, meeting a loose ball on the volley only to send it inches wide, leaving Jordan Pickford relieved. Substitute Nemanja Radonjić also injected life into Serbia’s attack and almost set up Vlahović, who curled narrowly over.

Serbia’s hopes evaporated in the final minute of normal time. A rapid English break led by Phil Foden ended with Eberechi Eze bending a beautiful finish into the far corner, sealing the result and adding a touch of style to an otherwise controlled, if unspectacular, evening.

With Albania holding on for victory against Andorra, Serbia’s elimination was confirmed—while England’s march toward the 2026 World Cup continues with a perfect record intact.