England significantly boosted their chances of qualifying for next summer's World Cup by thrashing Serbia 5-0 in Belgrade to go seven points clear at the top of Group K.
The visitors dominated the ball in the early proceedings of the match, but struggled to make any inroads after being confronted with Serbia's back five. Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon both had tame shots on target, but shot-stopper Dorde Petrovic was equal to them.
It took until the 28th minute for the Three Lions to fashion a real chance of note. Morgan Rogers spun away and played in Madueke, but Nikola Milenkovic was there to block his strike and Kane couldn't bundle the ball in from close range.
However, the England captain broke the deadlock just two minutes later. Serbia's defenders switched off during a Rice corner, with Kane allowed to head home untroubled.
Shortly after, Tuchel's side doubled their lead. Rogers was again at the heart of everything, as he flicked Elliot Anderson's pass past Milenkovic for Madueke to run on to. He got the wrong side of Strahinja Pavlovic and calmly slotted the ball past Petrovic for his first international goal.
Serbia looked to attack more in the second-half, but their early pressing was in vain as England grabbed a third. Gordon's curling effort from outside the box was parried back into a dangerous area by Petrovic, with the ball deflecting off Marc Guehi and into the path of Konsa, who couldn't miss.
Although Serbia pressed high, England's backline were still relatively untroubled, and their issues went from bad to worse when captain Milenkovic was sent off for a last-man tackle on Kane. Rice then put the resulting free-kick into a dangerous area, as Guehi got ahead of Pavlovic to poke home.
From there, it was a procession for the visitors, who kept the pressure on until the final whistle. Marcus Rashford then capped their finest performance yet under Tuchel, scoring from the penalty spot after Ollie Watkins was brought down by Strahinja Erakovic.
Serbia 0-5 England Match Statistics
Serbia
30
3
0
7
1
1
Match Highlights
Full match highlights will be uploaded soon...
Serbia Player Ratings
Serbia's Nemanja Gudelj looks dejected after the match
World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - Serbia v England - Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade, Serbia - September 9, 2025 Serbia's Nemanja Gudelj looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Marko Djurica
GK - Dorde Petrovic - 4/10
Made some good saves to keep England out before the half-hour mark. Not much he could do about the first two goals, but will be disappointed with the third.
CB - Strahinja Erakovic - 3/10
Made some good blocks, including one to deny a Declan Rice header in the early stages of the game. But ultimately he was run ragged by England attackers throughout and conceded a late penalty to cap a difficult night.
CB - Nikola Milenkovic - 2/10
His decision to close the space on Rogers took him out of the game for the second goal. Was then harshly sent off for a poor tackle in the second half.
CB - Strahinja Pavlovic - 3/10
Made some decent blocks and recoveries to halt England attacks. Got dragged out for Madueke's goal, leaving space behind for the winger to burst into and was caught out for Guehi's strike later on.
RWB - Kosta Nedeljkovic - 6/10
Some bright runs forward and got back well to help his teammates. Brought off at half-time as Serbia looked to attack more.
LWB - Veljko Birmancevic - 5/10
Tasked with keeping Madueke quiet and getting forward, but wasn't really effective at either. Brought off at half-time.
RM - Ivan Ilic - 4/10
Struggled to impact proceedings in the first half and equally ineffective in the second before his withdrawal on the hour mark.
Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic reacts after being sent off
World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - Serbia v England - Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade, Serbia - September 9, 2025 Serbia's Nikola Milenkovic reacts after being sent off REUTERS/Marko Djurica
CDM - Nemanja Maksimovic - 5/10
Didn't really see much of the ball due to England dominating possession throughout the match. Worked hard out of possession.
CM - Sasa Lukic - 4/10
Found it hard to deal with England's midfield zipping the ball around, picking up a yellow card for his troubles.
LM - Andrija Zivkovic - 4/10
Tried to burst forward when possible, but was dealt with relatively easily by Reece James and Ezri Konsa.
ST - Dusan Vlahovic - 4/10
Really didn't have much to work with in the first half, only having his first shot just before the interval. Was then kept quiet by Guehi and Konsa in the second.
SUB - Filip Kostic - 4/10
Turned to in the second half in an attempt to inspire a comeback. Brought energy but still couldn't break down the England backline.
SUB - Luka Jovic - 3/10
Partnered Vlahovic in the second half. Relatively anonymous throughout, touching the ball just a few times.
SUB - Lazar Samardzic - 4/10
Pressed high after being brought on and nearly managed to win the ball off Anderson after a dangerous pass from Pickford.
SUB - Aleksandar Mitrovic - 3/10
Having been honoured for his 100th cap before the game, he wasn't given much of an opportunity to attack as Milenkovic was sent off shortly after.
SUB - Milos Veljkovic - 3/10
Brought on following Milenkovic's sending off for the final 15 minutes.
England Player Ratings
England's Noni Madueke celebrates scoring their second goal with England's Morgan Rogers
World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - Serbia v England - Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade, Serbia - September 9, 2025 England's Noni Madueke celebrates scoring their second goal with England's Morgan Rogers REUTERS/Marko Djurica
GK - Jordan Pickford - 6/10
Didn't have to make a save. Escaped trouble in the 65th minute after playing a dangerous pass into Anderson.
RB - Reece James - 6/10
Given license to get forward and put in some good crosses. Dealt with Zivkovic and then Kostic fairly well throughout.
CB - Ezri Konsa - 7/10
Played some nice passes and kept Vlahovic quiet throughout the game. Then got a deserved goal after some good fortune.
CB - Marc Guehi - 8/10
Overcame a groin issue to start. Looked to progress the ball with some smart passes, didn't give Vlahovic any space to work in and got a goal too. A great night for the Crystal Palace skipper.
LB - Valentino Livramento - 7/10
Made a good recovery to prevent a Serbia counter-attack. Contributed effectively throughout in both defence and attack.
CDM - Elliot Anderson - 6/10
Made an early error which allowed Serbia to counter. Kept things simple after that and only added to his credentials ahead of next year's World Cup.
CDM - Declan Rice - 8/10
Composed in the middle. Whipped in a great corner for Kane's goal and then set Guehi up from a free-kick.
RW - Noni Madueke - 8/10
Quick, direct — everything you want from an attacking right-winger. Got his first goal for his efforts and could arguably have got another before that.
England's Morgan Rogers in action with Serbia's Sasa Lukic and Serbia's Andrija Zivkovic
World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - Serbia v England - Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade, Serbia - September 9, 2025 England's Morgan Rogers in action with Serbia's Sasa Lukic and Serbia's Andrija Zivkovic Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
CAM - Morgan Rogers - 9/10 (Man of the Match)
He might have made a slow start to the game, but Rogers was the standout player for Tuchel's side. He was excellent on the turn, was at the heart of Madueke's goal and worked hard without the ball, pressing high to win the ball back and maintain England's dominance. Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham will need to stake their claims to this position when they return to the team, because Rogers has shown exactly what he could bring to next year's tournament.
LW - Anthony Gordon - 6/10
Was a direct threat throughout, getting shots off which tested Petrovic. A decent showing for the Newcastle attacker.
ST - Harry Kane - 7/10
Kept relatively quiet before his goal, but came up with the goods when needed. A decent performance from the England captain.
SUB - Djed Spence - 6/10
Brought on for Reece James for his England debut. Some good runs forward which caused problems for the Serbia backline.
SUB - Marcus Rashford - 7/10
Played the pass through to Kane which ultimately led to Milenkovic's dismissal and Guehi's goal. Also had a fierce shot saved by Petrovic before he cooly converted from the penalty spot.
SUB - Jarrod Bowen - 5/10
Brought energy down the flanks late on.
SUB - Ollie Watkins - 5/10
Had a late effort ruled out for offside and won the penalty for England's fifth of the night.
SUB - Jordan Henderson - 4/10
Given the final 10 minutes of the match. Not enough time to really make an impact.