England run riot in Belgrade: Five-Star Lions humiliate Serbia

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

England delivered a commanding performance in Belgrade, dismantling Serbia 5-0 in their World Cup qualifying clash on Tuesday night.

Thomas Tuchel’s men combined precision, power, and patience to silence the Rajko Mitić Stadium, with Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, and Marcus Rashford all on the scoresheet.

The visitors struck early through their captain. In the 33rd minute, Declan Rice whipped in a pinpoint corner that found Kane, whose powerful header ricocheted off the post before nestling into the net.

Just two minutes later, England doubled their lead as Morgan Rogers slipped a clever ball to Madueke, who produced an audacious lob over goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Serbia struggled to contain England’s tempo and physicality, though Petrovic prevented further damage before half-time with smart saves from Anthony Gordon and Declan Rice. T

he hosts’ frustrations boiled over, with Sasa Lukic booked for a rash challenge and tempers flaring in midfield.

England resumed after the interval with the same intensity. Ezri Konsa made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, tapping home after Petrovic parried Gordon’s low drive. VAR briefly delayed celebrations, but the goal stood after review.

The contest turned ugly for Serbia in the 72nd minute when Nikola Milenkovic was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge. From the resulting free-kick, Rice delivered another dangerous ball that Guehi swept into the net to make it 4–0.

Tuchel rang the changes, introducing Rashford, Ollie Watkins, and Jarrod Bowen, and it was Rashford who completed the rout in stoppage time. After VAR awarded England a late penalty, Rashford coolly dispatched his spot-kick into the bottom corner to seal a comprehensive victory.

Serbia, who managed only fleeting attacks through Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic, were outclassed in every department.

England’s dominance was reflected not only in the scoreline but also in their game management, recycling possession intelligently and pressing aggressively to snuff out danger.