New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) England took a giant step towards 2026 World Cup qualification, thanks to a dominant 5-0 win over Serbia in Belgrade.

Harry Kane’s record-extending 74th England goal got Thomas Tuchel’s side off the mark before Noni Madueke grabbed his first for his country two minutes later with a confident finish.

Ezri Konsa extended the visitors’ lead early in the second half as the hosts toiled under the lights at the Rajko Mitić Stadium.

Nikola Milenkovic’s red card for denying Kane an obvious goalscoring opportunity compounded Serbia’s plight and Marc Guéhi and Marcus Rashford, via the penalty spot, added the icing on the cake.

The victory maintains England’s 100 per cent record in Group K – handing them a seven-point lead at the top of the group in the process – and puts them in pole position to book their spot at the World Cup in North America next summer.

Declan Rice was the first to test Djordje Petrovic after a neat one-two with Elliot Anderson in the sixth minute, but the Arsenal man’s shot from the edge of the box was easily dealt with by the Serbian shot-stopper.

The hosts grew into the game as the first half progressed and Kosta Nedeljkovic’s deflected strike, although comfortably saved by Jordan Pickford, demonstrated Serbia were getting close enough to England’s penalty area to cause potential problems.

Rice again found himself in the thick of the action midway through the opening salvo, but Strahinja Erakovic did enough to stop the Englishman’s cushioned header finding its way back across the box where white shirts lurked.

England upped the ante thereafter as Serbia faded; Anthony Gordon lashed a shot straight at Petrovic before Kane saw his effort from close range dribble wide after good work by Morgan Rogers and Madueke in the build-up.

Serbia’s stubborn resistance was finally broken just after the half-hour mark as Rice’s pinpoint corner found Kane on the penalty spot, and the England captain guided a delightful header past the outstretched Petrovic into the net off the post.

As the Bayern Munich forward racked up his 74th goal whilst on national team duty, Madueke got his first for England two minutes later.

The 23 year old capped off a sumptuous England move, brought about by Anderson’s threaded through ball and Morgan Rogers’ delicious flick, with a precise lifted finish over the Serbian keeper after a surging run in the box from the Arsenal man.

The last time these two sides met was in the group stage of Euro 2024 when England edged a tight encounter 1-0, but just over a year on, Tuchel’s side were in full control as they went in at half time two goals to the good.

The second half began as the first had ended, with England in the ascendency, and it didn’t take long before their buffer was stretched to three goals.

Konsa gleefully hammered home at the back post for his first England goal after Guéhi kept the ball alive following Gordon’s strike.

Milenkovic was given his marching orders by referee Clément Turpin for bringing down Kane when he was in behind Serbia’s defence on 72 minutes.

Guéhi poked home from inside the six-yard box three minutes later after latching onto another superb delivery from Rice.

Ollie Watkins thought he’d added a fifth to England’s tally shortly after coming on, but he was adjudged to be offside after turning home Jarrod Bowen’s driven cross.

But England weren’t to be denied for long as Rashford coolly rolled home a late penalty, after Erakovic brought down the lively Watkins, to cap a wonderful night for the Three Lions.

–IANS

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