Serbia misses out on the World Cup! Brave performance, serious injury, and a parting message: "I hate losing!"

On the bench for the "Eagles," new head coach Veljko Paunović made his debut, succeeding Dragan Stojković Piksi.

England secured their victory with goals from Bukayo Saka in the 28th minute and Eberechi Eze in the 90th minute.

Serbia finished the disappointing qualification cycle with 10 points, four fewer than Albania, who won in Andorra in the same round.

England has already secured direct qualification for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while Albania, finishing second in Group K, will go to the playoff scheduled for March next year.

There is still a theoretical chance for Serbia via a spot from the Nations League, but the probability is extremely low.

After the match, head coach Veljko Paunović delivered very bad news regarding Ivan Ilić’s injury and expressed his disappointment over the defeat, saying he "hates it."

Tonight’s captain, Filip Kostić, also took a jab at former head coach Dragan Stojković Piksi in his post-match statement.

You can evaluate his performance, as well as that of all Serbian players, in the B92.sport poll.

Paunović on the tricky timing of his return to Serbia and the future of the "Eagles"

"We still have theoretical chances, so that is the future for me! That’s all I have to say about that… But what is Serbia’s path for the future? Whenever we build teams, we end up with a fantastic generation—players who compete in the best clubs around the world—and yet we don’t get the best out of them. Then we start the process over again; it takes 5-10 years, and the cycle continues. I’ve worked with these players, we had success in the youth teams, and now I’m coming back at the last moment—to save a generation that was, and still is, capable of achieving something greater, of leaving a legacy. And if that doesn’t happen, we’ll have to start all over again! That process is eternal", Paunović concluded.