Serbia coach resigns straight after Albania loss

Dragan Stojkovic resigns as boss of England's group rivals Serbia immediately after his side's 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Albania on Saturday.

Dragan Stojkovic
Dragan Stojkovic made 84 appearances for the former Yugoslavia between 1983 and 2001 [Getty Images]

Dragan Stojkovic resigned as Serbia boss immediately after his side's 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Albania on Saturday.

Rey Manaj scored the only goal to make it back-to-back defeats for Serbia following last month's 5-0 thrashing by England.

It leaves them third in Group K, with England top on 15 points and Albania second on 11, having played a game more.

"I spoke with the president and general secretary and I offered my resignation," Stojkovic told a post-match news conference.

"I personally did not expect this defeat. I am someone who accepts full responsibility and is solely accountable."

Serbia's next match is away at Andorra on Tuesday.

Stojkovic was appointed Serbia boss in 2021 and led them to the 2022 World Cup, where they finished bottom of their group with just one point from three games.

Saturday's game was relocated from Serbia's capital to the southern city of Leskovac because of security fears, with the two countries having a long history of political tensions.

The result means England can secure qualification for next year's World Cup in United States, Canada and Mexico with a win over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday.

Category: General Sports