Wembley felt absolutely electric to me on Tuesday, the noise was just incredible after England won. I think beating Serbia 2-0 makes it seven wins from seven, a perfect record for us. Seeing Bukayo Saka scoring first was brilliant, and a late goal from Eberechi Eze just finished things perfectly. That result sadly ends any chance for Serbia getting a play-off, which is a real shame for them.
Our manager Thomas Tuchel, he really talked up the players who came off the bench. I feel like he said the substitutes made a huge difference in the last part of the game. The depth in the squad is honestly something other teams must worry about. He went out of his way to mention Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Eze for their energy.
Saka putting us ahead in the first half was a really well-taken goal from my view. Serbia under their new manager Veljko Paunovic, they didn’t give up at all though. Our goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to make some important saves for sure. Paunovic, he used to be with Reading, watched his team just not finish their chances.
For me, Eze’s goal in the 90th minute was just the best moment. Phil Foden got the ball in midfield and drove forward before setting up Eze. The finish was a first-time curler right into the top corner, as fine a shot as you’ll ever see. Dom Smith from Standard Sport called it sublime, which I totally agree with. Paunovic was apparently furious, thinking a foul happened in the build-up, and he even got a yellow card.
With Albania winning, Serbia’s hopes are officially over now which is tough. They really seemed to miss their main striker Aleksandar Mitrovic who was injured. Dusan Vlahovic played up front but found it hard against our defense.
I noticed Nico O’Reilly made his senior debut for England, which is a big deal. Morgan Rogers was started at No10, which was a surprise over Jude Bellingham. Marcus Rashford had to play because Anthony Gordon was injured. Tuchel is happy with the win but he’s always saying we can’t get complacent, which makes sense to me.
He had previously criticised the atmosphere after the Wales friendly, and then heard some sarcastic chants later. We really need to just keep pushing and improving, he said. This victory helps build momentum for the World Cup next year, which is so exciting to think about.
Adam Wharton got his second cap, coming on late for Anderson. I’m pretty sure Crystal Palace fans feel his return was a long time coming. Our last match is against Albania on Sunday, our place is already secure. The focus now is just on getting ready for next summer.
Scoring 20 goals and letting in none this whole group stage shows how strong we are. The mix of experienced players and new talent looks really good for the future. The way the substitutes changed the game late on just shows how much quality we have available.
The atmosphere around the stadium tonight, you could really tell the difference from some of the previous games, it definitely made a difference for the players I think.
