FOOTBALL – ENGLAND took a huge step towards automatic qualification for the World Cup with captain Harry Kane paving the way for a crushing 5-0 victory away to main Group K rivals Serbia yesterday.
While Kane netted his record-extending 74th England goal, Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all scored their first senior international goals in an emphatic win.
England have a maximum 15 points from five games and could seal automatic qualification as group winners next month.
Criticised for a laboured home defeat of Andorra on Saturday, England produced their best performance under head coach Thomas Tuchel to punish a timid Serbia display.
After an uneventful start against a host side camped in their own half, Kane headed his team in front from Declan Rice’s corner in the 33rd minute and soon after Madueke made it 2-0 after racing onto a clever flick by Morgan Rogers.
Seven minutes after the break it was Konsa’s turn to open his England account and put the visitors in cruise control with a close-range finish that was allowed after a VAR check.
Serbia’s night went from bad to worse when Nikola Milenkovic was sent off in the 73rd minute for a foul on Kane and from Rice’s resulting free kick Guehi arrived to make it 4-0.
Substitute Marcus Rashford rounded it off with a late penalty after a foul on Ollie Watkins as England’s fans celebrated in an emptying stadium.
England lead the group by seven points from Albania with Serbia’s first defeat in the group leaving them third on seven points with a game in hand.
The group winners qualify for next year’s finals with the runners-up going into the playoffs.
“I’m more than happy for the team and for the staff,” Tuchel told ITV Sport. “We had an excellent week from start to finish and we just proved what I saw every day in this camp.
“We played with a lot of intensity and it was teamwork in its purest form.”
There was very little jeopardy once England’s qualifying group was drawn and they are making qualification for next year’s finals look like a walk in the park.
That they will be in the showpiece was almost a given, but doubts have remained about England’s progress since Tuchel took over from Gareth Southgate.
Some of the performances under the German former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach’s watch have been turgid.
But yesterday they made a statement against a side they narrowly beat 1-0 in last year’s European Championship.
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