Arsenal winger Noni Madueke managed to emulate Paul Gascoigne in England's 5-0 thrashingof Serbia in World Cup 2026 Qualifying, where the Three Lions and Thomas Tuchel also achieved unprecedented feats.
Tuchel oversaw his most emphatic win as England head coach yet in Belgrade, where Gunners new boy Madueke found the back of the net for his country for the first time at senior level.
Madueke had already contributed to the Three Lions' 2-0 win over Andorra, delivering the cross that Christian Garcia headed into his own net, and he witnessed Arsenal teammate Declan Rice send in a perfect corner for Harry Kane to score the opener on Wednesday.
The former Chelsea attacker then doubled his nation's lead in the 36th minute, running onto a sumptuous flick from Morgan Rogers, darting infield and coolly lifting the ball over Djordje Petrovic.
In doing so, Madueke achieved a unique feat, becoming the first player with all five vowels in his name to score for England this century and the first since 'Gazza' in September 1997 against Moldova.
Madueke copies Gascoigne with first England goal in Serbia win
England's Noni Madueke and Morgan Rogers celebrate on September 9, 2025
The 23-year-old revealed to ITV Sport after the match that his only thought was to 'go fast' when he latched onto Rogers's delightful ball, saying: "I’m delighted with the team performance and the win. It was a really, really top performance today and thank God that I was able to score my first goal - it was a top day overall.
“It was a great flick from Morgan [Rogers] and as soon as it broke for me, I had one thought in my head, which was to go as fast as I could to the goal and then compose myself for the finish so I’m really happy.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s something that you work for, and that you dream of when you're a lot younger and then for it to come to fruition today is a great feeling."
Madueke was one of three England players to score their first senior international goals in Belgrade, as centre-back partners Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi also struck from close range before substitute Marcus Rashford rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot.
England, Thomas Tuchel write new chapters of history in Serbia victory
England manager Thomas Tuchel pictured on September 9, 2025
Hitherto criticised for a lack of attacking explosiveness during Tuchel's earliest games in charge, England's five-goal obliteration of Dragan Stojkovic's side also saw the Three Lions write a new chapter of national team history.
By putting a quintet of unanswered goals past Serbia, England registered their biggest-ever margin of victory against a top-50 nation away from home since the FIFA rankings were established in 1992.
Furthermore, Tuchel managed a feat that none of his predecessors were abler to do; win each of his first five competitive matches in charge of the England senior men's team without conceding a single goal.
The German is also just the fourth head coach to win each of his first five competitive games as Three Lions boss after Sven-Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello and Ron Greenwood, but none of the other three claimed five clean sheets.
England sit eight points clear of second-placed Albania at the top of World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group K, and they will seal their spot in North America next year if they get the better of Latvia on October 14, five days after a friendly at home to Wales.
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