Summary

Reaction to World Cup qualifiers

  1. get involved

    Get Involved - 'Tuchel is the right man for the job'published at 07:48 GMT

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    England did well to beat a well organised, physical and stubborn side in awful conditions. It wasn’t pretty, but they won. I think Tuchel is the right man for the job.

    Jeremy, Scotland

  2. England players rated - Substitutespublished at 07:43 GMT

    England 2-0 Serbia

    Alex Howell
    BBC Sport football reporter

    • Eberechi Eze: Came on as one of four changes. Showed in flashes why he is so highly rated with some of his trademark dribbling. Finished the game off with an excellent curled striker into the top corner. 7
    • Phil Foden: Just as Tuchel hinted, Foden came on as a striker when he replaced Kane. Went looking for the ball and always makes the crowd excited when he gets it. A late assist when he set up Eze on a counter-attack 7
    • Jude Bellingham: The Real Madrid midfielder was involved in one particularly good move when he combined with James, as England looked to add to the score. 6
    • Jordan Henderson: Came on and took the armband. Played deeper next to Anderson as England completed the job. 6
    • Adam Wharton: Came on late, had little time to prove himself. N/A
    The back of Eberechi Eze which displays his number 19 on his England shirtImage source, Getty Images
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    Get Involved - 'Tuchel still needs a plan B'published at 07:40 GMT

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    Job done but we need to up the intensity. We are still struggling to break down teams who park the bus. Better teams would have punished us last night. Play friendlies against better quality opposition, then we'll see how far we've really progressed. He still has time, but TT still needs to work out his Plan B.

    Daniel, Isle of Wight

  4. get involved

    Get Involved - 'Impressed by Anderson'published at 07:35 GMT

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    I was impressed by Elliot Anderson, I thought he was neat with his play and really ignited energy in the middle for us; Harry Kane also played well when dropping into the midfield to provide an extra man here and there, he looked very sharp.

    Toby, Harpenden

  5. Who offered a spark? - England players ratedpublished at 07:31 GMT

    England 2-0 Serbia

    Alex Howell
    BBC Sport football reporter

    • Jordan Pickford: England's number one did not have a meaningful save to make. 6
    • Reece James: As England dominated the game, James spent most of the time in attacking positions and was not up against much going towards his own goal. One of Thomas Tuchel's favourites and looks to be England's first-choice right-back. 6
    • Ezri Konsa: Just like the rest of the England back four, it was an easy night for Konsa. Good on the ball and kept it moving as he started attacks from the back. Only one counter-attack looked to cause him trouble. 6
    • John Stones: The Manchester City defender stepped into midfield when Serbia did not put him under pressure. Looks to be building a nice partnership with Konsa. Not much to deal with defensively. 6
    • Nico O'Reilly: A very comfortable first cap for O'Reilly. Took the ball in good areas and went into midfield from left-back, as he does for his club side Manchester City. His shot in the first half created England's opening goal and he almost added to the score when his deflected cross nearly went in. The 20-year-old has a chance to make a late push to be England's starting left-back at the World Cup. 7
    • Elliot Anderson: The Nottingham Forest midfielder has made the base of midfield position his own. He's a near certainty to start for England at the World Cup. Another assured performance. 7
    • Declan Rice: A quieter night for Declan Rice but he still showed his running power. His delivery from corners and free-kicks are of the highest quality and means he can always be a threat for England. 6
    • Morgan Rogers: Excellent play from Rogers to start an attack in the first half when he combined with Bukayo Saka, beating a defender and spraying an excellent pass to Rashford. Almost on target with an instinctive flicked header. 7
    • Marcus Rashford: A couple of exciting runs and curling efforts well saved. It wasn't England's best night but Rashford offered a spark at times. Nice skill in the first half when he put the ball through a defender's legs to get the crowd off their feet. 7
    • Bukayo Saka: Scored an excellent first-half goal when he volleyed in the rebound off O'Reilly's shot. Building a nice partnership with Reece James down the right-hand side for England. Had another half-chance in the first half but curled wide. 7
    • Harry Kane: The England captain dropped deep to get on the ball as England struggled to break down the stubborn Serbia defence. A couple of excellent passes to start attacks. Missed a good chance with a header in the first half. 6
  6. England analysis: Tuchel's confidence will growpublished at 07:25 GMT

    England 2-0 Serbia

    Phil McNulty
    BBC Sport chief football writer

    It was inevitable that England's meeting with Serbia would lack a sense of jeopardy with World Cup qualification assured, but Thomas Tuchel will still have been left with increasing confidence about the forthcoming World Cup following this win.

    The sight of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden emerging from the bench after 65 minutes, along with goalscoring substitute Eberechi Eze, was another demonstration of the depth of talent at Tuchel's disposal as he shapes his final World Cup plans.

    Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford and Elliot Anderson had all made their contributions, while Crystal Palace's outstanding young midfielder Adam Wharton, on as a late substitute, finally got more minutes for England for the first time since June 2024.

    This has been a hugely satisfying qualifying campaign for Tuchel and England, gathering momentum exactly as he would have wished before the final qualifier in Albania on Sunday.

    Saka once again showed the class that makes him a certain World Cup pick with a spectacular finish to open the scoring, with Arsenal team-mate Eze also providing a stylish final flourish to erase any doubts about the result.

    Debutant O'Reilly made an accomplished start while, at the other end of the scale, captain Harry Kane may not have got on the scoresheet but showed his hunger still burns, even producing a tackle on the edge of his own area to snuff out a rare Serbian threat.

    And in goal, Pickford continues to set records with another shutout, meaning England have still to concede a goal in qualifying.

    All in all, Tuchel can head to Tirana in buoyant mood.

    England manager Thomas Tuchel watches on during England's game against Serbia at Wembley.Image source, Getty Images
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    Get Involved - 'Enjoying watching England again'published at 07:21 GMT

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    I’m actually enjoying watching England again. I know this wasn’t entirely thrilling but the link up play is starting to look world class.

    Pete, Manchester

  8. England maintain perfect record with Serbia winpublished at 07:14 GMT

    England 2-0 Serbia

    Phil McNulty
    BBC Sport chief football writer

    England extended their flawless record in World Cup qualifying with a seventh successive victory as Serbia were beaten at Wembley.

    Head coach Thomas Tuchel is now able to fine-tune his plans after the Three Lions confirmed their place last month in next summer's showpiece with two games to spare, and this was a low-key affair on a rain-soaked evening.

    Tuchel gave a first senior cap to Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly at left-back, but it was one of England's established stars who made the breakthrough, Bukayo Saka scoring after 28 minutes with a perfectly placed left-foot volley beyond Serbia keeper Predrag Rajkovic.

    Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers was selected ahead of Jude Bellingham in the number 10 role and displayed plenty of energy and some nice touches before being replaced by his boyhood friend after 65 minutes.

    Phil Foden also came on as substitute at the same time, and he combined with Bellingham to set up another replacement, Eberechi Eze, for a superb curling finish to wrap up England's win in the last minute.

    Serbia mounted the occasional threat in the second half, but England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was able to extend his record run of clean sheets to 10, while Tuchel's side have now scored 20 goals without reply in their successful qualifying campaign.

  9. Good morningpublished at 07:08 GMT

    Hello, good morning.

    Another game down, another win down and another step closer to the World Cup campaign getting under way for England.

    Thursday evening was very much a case of get the job done and that they did.

    We'll be bringing you all the reaction to that match first off before bringing you a round-up of all the other international action from around the grounds.

    As always, we want you getting involved nice and early so click that 'Get Involved' button at the top of the page to get your early shouts in on Thursday's 2-0 win.

    First up, a reminder of how it unfolded...

  10. Another one ticked offpublished at 07:00 GMT

    England 2-0 Serbia

    Bukayo Saka celebrates in the rain after scoring for EnglandImage source, Getty Images
    Eberechi Eze points to the sky after scoring for EnglandImage source, Getty Images
    Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Bukayo Saka and John Stones celebrate together after Saka's goal.Image source, Getty Images