England maintained their perfect World Cup qualifying record with a 2–0 win over Serbia at Wembley on 13 November 2025, while Italy kept their slim hopes of automatic qualification alive by scoring twice in the final minutes to beat Moldova 2–0 in Chisinau.
England stay flawless with seventh straight win
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze delivered the goals as England made it seven wins from seven in Group K.
Saka opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a superb left-footed volley, and Eze sealed the victory with a curling effort in the 90th minute.
England, already confirmed as group winners and heading to next year’s finals in North America, were rarely troubled by a Serbia side whose qualification hopes were effectively ended by defeat.
There were further positives for Thomas Tuchel’s side: Jordan Pickford extended his clean-sheet record to 10 qualifiers in a row, while Jude Bellingham returned from injury for his first England appearance since June. Young full-back Nico O’Reilly also impressed on debut, his blocked shot leading directly to Saka’s opener.
Italy survive scare to keep qualification hopes alive
In Chisinau, Italy needed two late goals to overcome Moldova and record their sixth consecutive victory in Group I.
With Norway beating Estonia 4–1 earlier in the evening, Italy remained three points behind the group leaders and must now defeat Norway on Sunday while overturning a daunting 17-goal difference to qualify automatically.
After a frustrating night in which Moldova defended stubbornly, the breakthrough came in the 88th minute when Federico Dimarco’s cross was headed in by Gianluca Mancini.
Two minutes into stoppage time, Francesco Pio Esposito met Matteo Politano’s delivery to secure the win with a clinical header — his second international goal.
Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso said he was satisfied with the performance despite the late drama, praising his side’s control and defensive solidity. Moldova remain bottom of the group with one point.
