Thomas Tuchel's England era has finally officially begun. The resounding 5-0 victory over Serbia was not only Tuchel's fifth consecutive victory in the international arena, but also the first time the "Three Lions" left a clear mark on progress. This helps strengthen the belief that their goal of conquering the 2026 World Cup is completely well-founded.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to do on the road ahead. Serbia - the world's 32nd-ranked opponent - showed little intention to attack and could hardly be considered a perfect measure for England.
However, traveling to Rajko Mitic's "fire pan" in Belgrade has never been an easy challenge. England has not been really convincing in recent times, but this time they overcame it with an authoritative performance. And it was just as Tuchel affirmed before the match: the team is moving in the right direction.
The biggest challenge for Tuchel is to help England play with initiative and authority at important moments. This is something that his predecessor Gareth Southgate has failed to do, as the "Three Lions" have been waiting for a major trophy for the past 59 years.
The real test for Tuchel will only come next summer, but England's best performance under his reign in the most difficult match ever is clearly a significant step forward.
When he first took over the team, Tuchel commented that England under Southgate lacked clear identity, despite reaching the EURO 2024 final. And until the match against Serbia, he still struggled to solve that problem.
However, against Serbia, positive signals have appeared. The "Three Lions" presented more dynamic football, with the presence of faces that had never been used under Southgate.
Elliot Anderson brought breakthrough passes from midfield, Noni Madueke created explosions and efficiency on both wings, while Morgan Rogers became the center of beautiful attacking play. After a lackluster 2-0 victory over Andorra, this was a strong response from Tuchel and his students.
"That's exactly what we need. I said that my feeling that this opportunity will help the whole team to reach their full potential, and today I feel right. I shared with the players that we had just had a great training camp.
The match against Andorra was not as expected, but I believe this team is on the right track. At some point, we have to prove it with our performance on the pitch" - Tuchel affirmed.
Without Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer due to injury, England still showed impressive strength and high concentration. The "Three Lions" completely dominated the home team after Harry Kane headed the ball to score his 65th international goal in the 33rd minute.
Just 2 minutes later, Madueke doubled the gap with a beautiful finish, helping England establish control. After the break, central defenders Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi jointly scored their first international goal, while Nikola Milenkovic received a red card in the 72nd minute after a foul on Kane.
In the final minutes, Ollie Watkins was fouled by Strahinja Erakovic in the penalty area and Marcus Rashford successfully took a penalty, ending the big win. This was also Rashford's first goal for England in more than 2 years.
"We supported each other, maintained the necessary intensity of play and tried our best not to let the opponent have even one shot on target. They are a strong home team, and to do this, we have to play disciplined, focused and united.
Congratulations to the whole team. I said, we had a great week from start to finish, and today's match was the clearest proof" - Tuchel added.
