Like Not England, the "Three Lions" Impressive Victory Over Serbia

It was like a different England. The performance of the "Three Lions" team when they crushed Serbia, 5-0, in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match at Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday (10/9/2025) early morning WIB, left their supporters in awe.

"That was the best performance by England that I have witnessed in years," commented on one of the English football forums. If one did not see the uniforms or the names of the players competing, it could easily be mistaken for the Spanish national team playing.

It is not surprising that many are astonished because during the coaching period of Gareth Southgate and subsequently four qualifying matches under Thomas Tuchel, England's gameplay has often been criticized as monotonous, boring, and lacking in creativity. Under Southgate, despite reaching two European Championship finals, England's performance has been far from impressive.

The hallmark of Southgate's gameplay is to play it safe, focusing more on not losing rather than playing to win. In fact, the Three Lions team boasts some of the best players in the world, such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer.

If we look further back, perhaps England's most impressive performance was when they defeated Germany 5-1 in Munich on September 1, 2001, during the 2002 World Cup qualifying match under Coach Sven-Göran Eriksson. However, that performance did not continue despite England having legendary players such as Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen, and Wayne Rooney.

After Southgate, the German coach Thomas Tuchel was appointed, with the hope of ending the 60-year title drought for the Three Lions. The last time England won a major trophy was when they claimed the World Cup in 1966 while hosting the tournament.

However, in the four qualifying matches since taking charge of the Three Lions squad, Tuchel has not improved the performance of Kane and his teammates. In fact, several parties have noted that the players have shown a decline in performance, especially when they only won 2-0 against Andorra.

The victory was achieved in a tedious manner, even considered worse than the Southgate era. There were also calls for Tuchel to be dismissed despite England winning all four matches in Group K qualification without conceding a goal.

The match against Serbia will be the biggest test for Tuchel. Facing the strongest opponent in Group K, a defeat could mean the end of the former Chelsea coach's fate.

However, when facing an opponent that had also not conceded a goal in the qualifiers, England performed perfectly, showcasing a style of play that was the antithesis of the Southgate era. They played skillfully, with players daring to make progressive passes, which left Serbia struggling.

England silenced the home supporters, known for their militancy, from the very first minute. Serbia even had to face sanctions from UEFA due to the actions of their supporters, which required them to empty 15 percent of the stadium's capacity when hosting England. The determined play of Kane and his teammates prevented the Serbian team from developing.

England's dominance is also reflected in the statistics, in addition to the five goals scored by Kane, Madueke, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, and Marcus Rashford. They controlled 70 percent of the ball, made 24 shots compared to four, with 12 of those shots on target. England also created six dangerous opportunities, while not giving Serbia a single chance.

The progressive play of England was also evident in the number of touches in the opponent's penalty area, which reached 42 times, compared to just four for Serbia. This perfect performance was achieved despite the absence of several star players, such as Bellingham, Palmer, Saka, and Trent-Alexander Arnold.

Tuchel also urged the England players to use their stunning performance against Serbia as a standard that they must maintain on their journey to the World Cup. The victory over Serbia placed England at the top of Group K, requiring them to secure a maximum of five points from the remaining three matches.

"I told you! You need to have a little more faith in what we're doing," Tuchel said.

According to Tuchel, his teams played at a high level and this will set the standard for upcoming matches. "This is a decisive victory against a tough opponent in a challenging arena. There was no negative attitude on the field. For me, it is teamwork in its purest form," said Tuchel.

Kane, who opened the scoring with a header in Belgrade in the 33rd minute, expressed his admiration for the way England attacked the Serbian defense from the very first minute. "I talked a lot yesterday about how we wanted to play, to play attacking and aggressively, and I think we showed our level today," he said.

In response to criticism regarding England's poor performance before the goal fest against Serbia, Kane added that their game was actually quite good. However, their performance against Andorra has not yet reached the level they desire.

"I know it's not a performance that impresses people, but we are doing what we need to do," said Kane. (AP/AFP)