FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier: Saka and Eze sink Serbia to make it seven on seven for England

Goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze secured a routine 2-0 victory for England over Serbia, making it seven wins from seven games in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign at a rain-soaked Wembley Stadium on Thursday.

Saka sent in a clinical volley in the 28th minute to open the scoring and with much of the crowd already gone, substitute Eze curled home in the 90th minute.

With England having already qualified for next year’s finals in North America as winners of Group K, it was a rather tepid encounter, with the defeat ending Serbia’s hopes of a play-off spot.

England have 21 points from seven games and have not conceded a goal heading into Sunday’s final group match against Albania, who guaranteed second place and a place in the play-offs with a 1-0 win in Andorra.

Apart from the two goals from Arsenal teammates Saka and Eze, it was a largely forgettable affair as England lacked urgency at times and Serbia lacked any real quality.

There was an encouraging senior debut in England for young Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly, while the biggest cheer of the night came when Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham came off the bench midway through the second half, his first appearance in England since June.

Bellingham didn’t make much of an impact, although he did play a part in the sweeping move that saw fellow substitute Phil Foden tee up Eze for a sensational curling finish.

«There is a lot of talent in the team. You can see the players here and also the types who are not here,» Eze said of the depth of talent available to coach Thomas Tuchel. “It’s the kind of competition you want to compete against and it will definitely help the team.”

Serbia put up more resistance than in the 5-0 home draw against England in September, and Dusan Vlahovic came close to equalizing twice, but the defeat ended a dismal campaign for the Serbs, who will miss next year’s final.

Published on November 14, 2025