Friday’s briefing: England win and the Republic of Ireland help Ronaldo see red

England maintained their 100 per cent World Cup qualifying record with a comfortable 2-0 win over Serbia at Wembley.

However, it was a night to forget for Cristiano Ronaldo, who was sent off as the Republic of Ireland beat Portugal 2-0 in Dublin.

Magnificent seven for England

Bukayo Saka’s sublime cushioned volley set England on course for a 2-0 victory against Serbia at Wembley to continue their unblemished World Cup qualification campaign.

Having sealed a place in North America with two matches to spare, Thomas Tuchel’s side secured a seventh Group K win without conceding a goal.

Saka’s fine first-half volley took his international tally to 14 goals before Arsenal team-mate Eberechi Eze came on and clipped in a late second, following a sweeping move, to complete another comfortable triumph.

Tuchel’s side did not reach the heights of September’s 5-0 battering of Serbia in Belgrade, but few put a foot wrong as the coach’s system takes precedence over star names as he seeks to build a “brotherhood”.

The England manager said: “This is not about building a starting 11, it’s about building a team.

“They buy into this idea of building a team and this is what we want, this is what we need.”

Troy Parrott hits a brace as CR7 sees red

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off as Troy Parrott fired the Republic of Ireland to a 2-0 victory over Portugal which set up a World Cup qualifier showdown with Hungary.

The 40-year-old Portugal skipper – who had launched a charm offensive on his arrival in Dublin, promising to try to be a “good boy” – was dismissed for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea off the ball with a little more than half-an-hour remaining at the Aviva Stadium.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men, though, were already well on their way to a memorable win over the side ranked fifth in the world.

AZ Alkmaar striker Parrott’s first-half double ultimately did the damage – but it was a collective performance of true character which laid the foundation for a victory which means a repeat in Budapest on Sunday would clinch runners-up spot in Group F and with it a shot at next summer’s finals.

Affordability key for Euro 2028 ticket prices

Organisers have ruled out using dynamic ticket pricing for Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland.

Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who also chairs the tournament board, insists making affordable tickets widely available is “fundamental” to ensuring a successful tournament.

Dynamic pricing – where prices rise and fall depend on demand – has long been adopted by hotel companies and airlines among others, but is much less common in the UK for sport and entertainment event tickets.

The issue was placed firmly in the public consciousness in the summer of 2024 when it became clear a dynamic pricing model was being used in the sale of tickets for Oasis’ reunion tour, with prices rising sharply as people waited in the queue to purchase them.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham, though, has ruled out any repeat when Euro 2028 tickets eventually go on sale.

“There won’t be any dynamic ticket pricing. I think that’s really well established,” he said.

What’s on today?

Northern Ireland take on Slovakia in Kosice looking to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive from Group A.

England Under-21s continue their Euro 2027 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland in Birmingham, while Wales Under-21s are away in Belarus.