Konsa revels in first England goal

A delighted Ezri Konsa discussed his pride after netting his first goal for England in Tuesday night’s 5-0 win over Serbia.

The Aston Villa defender struck in the 52nd minute on what was his 14th appearance for the Three Lions, tapping home at the back post after Anthony Gordon’s shot was saved.

His goal helped Thomas Tuchel’s side record an emphatic win in Belgrade to maintain their perfect record in European Qualifying Group K for next summer’s FIFA World Cup.

“Excellent night,” Konsa beamed, “a moment I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid.”

“You always dream about these moments and when I was young, I always pictured it, trying to score for England.

“For it to finally happen, and my whole family watching back home, it was a proud moment, and a night I’ll never, ever forget.”

The 27-year-old expanded further on his role from offensive set-pieces, and how he always tries to get himself into goalscoring positions.

He added: “In set-pieces, especially as centre-halves, we have to think like the attackers, like H (Harry Kane) and all of them lot up top.

“It’s something I’ve been trying to work on to try and get more goals, so to finally score today was an amazing moment.

“I think that’s everyone’s dream, no matter where you play. It’s everyone’s dream to score for their country, and a night I’ll never forget.”

England took two wins from their two games in the September international break, after beginning the camp with a 2-0 victory over Andorra at Villa Park – the first time they’d played in B6 for over 20 years.

Konsa has been pleased with the work of he and his team-mates under Tuchel, as preparations for the 2026 World Cup progress.

He continued: “We’ve had a great week in camp. We showed our levels in training and in both games.

“We knew if we came into the game with the right mindset and the same quality that we have been putting in for the last week, we could come here and get a victory, and that’s what we did today.”