On an unforgettable night in UEFA qualifying for FIFA World Cup 26™, Erling Haaland bagged five goals in a Norway rout and Cristiano Ronaldo tied a global record. The Portuguese superstar is now the joint-top scorer in World Cup qualifying history after netting in his team’s victory over Hungary.
England thumped Serbia, while France secured a hard-fought win against Iceland. There will also victories for Albania, Armenia and Austria. Read our full round-up below.
Group D
Azerbaijan goal: Emin Makhmudov pen (72)
Ukraine goal: Georgiy Sudakov (51)
Having both been beaten in their opening Group D games, Azerbaijan and Ukraine got off the mark in Group D with a draw in Baku.
After a goalless first half, Georgiy Sudakov’s clinical strike after a fine team move put Ukraine in front shortly after the interval. Azerbaijan responded impressively, though, and pulled level from the penalty spot. Captain Emin Makhmudov converted from 12 yards to earn his team a point.
France goals: Kylian Mbappe pen (45), Bradley Barcola (62)
Iceland goal: Andri Gudjohnsen (21)
Kylian Mbappe scored his 52nd international goal as France came from behind to beat Iceland in France.
The visitors took a shock lead when Michael Olise misplaced a pass and Andri Gudjohnsen stole in to shoot past goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Mbappe levelled just before half-time, rifling in a penalty which was awarded following a VAR review for a foul on Marcus Thuram. The goal moved Mbappe past Thierry Henry and into outright second on France’s all-time top scorers list. Only Olivier Giroud has netted more times (57) for Les Bleus.
Mbappe’s superb run and pass set up Bradley Barcola to make it 2-1. Aurelien Tchouameni then received a red card, but France saw out to the victory to make it two wins from two games.
Group F
Armenia goals: Eduard Sptersyan pen (45+1), Grant-Leon Ranos (51)
Republic of Ireland goal: Evan Ferguson (57)
Armenia bounced back from a 5-0 trouncing by Portugal with an excellent home win over the Republic of Ireland.
Eduard Sptersyan’s penalty gave Armenia the lead just before half-time. The midfielder fired past Caoimhin Kelleher from the spot after Nathan Collins fouled Tigran Barseghyan in the area. They kept up their momentum after the break and Nair Tiknizyan set up Grant-Leon Ranos to make it 2-0.
Evan Ferguson pulled a goal back for the Irish, but the strike could not spark a comeback for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side as Armenia wrapped up a deserved victory.
Hungary goal: Barnabas Varga (21, 84)
Portugal goal: Bernardo Silva (36), Cristiano Ronaldo pen (58), Joao Cancelo (86)
Cristiano Ronaldo drew level as the joint-top scorer in World Cup qualifying history as Portugal edged a thriller in Hungary.
Barnabas Varga sent the Budapest crowd wild when his perfectly placed header made it 1-0. Bernardo Silva equalised for Portugal, expertly controlling a Joao Cancelo pass before applying the finish. Ronaldo put the Portuguese in front from the penalty spot, sending his precision spot-kick beyond the reach of Balazs Toth. He is now level with Guatemalan great Carlos Ruiz as the leading marksman in World Cup qualifiers, with 39 goals.
Hungary continued to battle hard and levelled through Varga’s header six minutes from time, but Cancelo would have the last word, with his fine finish earning Portugal maximum points.
Group H
Bosnia-Herzegovina goal: Edin Dzeko (50)
Austria goals: Marcel Sabitzer (49), Konrad Laimer (65)
Austria moved level on points with Bosnia-Herzegovina at the top of the table thanks to a rare goal from full-back Konrad Laimer. It was a valuable victory for Ralf Rangnick’s men, who maintained their 100-per-cent record and have a game in hand over their rivals.
The home team dominated the opening proceedings but could not make their possession count, with Edin Dzeko spurning a succession of half-chances. The second period, however, sprung into life with two goals in as many minutes. Austria took the lead through a superb Marcel Sabitzer volley in the 49th minute. Dzeko, 39, responded just a minute later when he neatly converted a cross from Ermedin Demirovic.
Austria fought back and retook the lead in the 65th minute when Laimer broke the offside trap and easily slotted the ball past stopper Nikola Vasilj. Deep into injury time, Austrian substitute Patrick Wimmer was sent off for receiving his second yellow card.
Cyprus goals: Loizos Loizou (29), Charalampos Charalampous (76)
Romania goals: Denis Dragus (2, 18)
Cyprus produced an impressive comeback in their clash with Romania to secure a point against the odds at the GSP Stadium in Strovolos.
The hosts looked to be on course for a testing evening when Denis Dragus notched with less than 120 seconds on the clock before being released by a routine ball over the top and producing a neat finish over Fabiano.
But Apostolos Mantzios’ side battled back into the contest and halved the deficit before the break through Loizos Loizou, with substitute Charalampos Charalampous the hero with his leveller 14 minutes from time.
Group I
Norway goals: Felix Myhre (7), Erling Haaland (11, 36, 43, 52 & 83), Martin Odegaard (45+1), Thelo Asgaard (67, 76, 79 pen & 90+1)
Moldova goal: Leo Ostigard own goal (74)
A five-goal Erling Haaland blitz and four from Thelo Asgaard helped Norway dismantle Moldova and continue their perfect start to qualifying.
The Manchester City man was created the first six minutes in, as his pass across goal was finished by Felix Myhre. Haaland slotted home his first after capitalising on a defensive mix-up five minutes later, before steaming through to net again. A fifth international treble was secured when he rounded goalkeeper Cristian Avram and lobbed the covering defender. Martin Odegaard made it five in first-half stoppage time with a cool finish.
Haaland found his fourth seven minutes after the break with a header, before Agaard added his name to the scoresheet with a neat finish in the 67th minute. Moldova pulled one back through a Leo Ostigard own goal, but Asgaard was on hand to turn in his second soon after and secured his own treble with a penalty. Haaland side-footed home his fifth from a short-corner seven minutes from time, with Asgaard rounding off the scoring, tapping home another Haaland knock-down.
Group K
Albania goal: Kristja Asllani pen (25)
Albania leapfrogged Serbia to storm into second place after dispatching of Latvia in Tirana. The Red and Blacks dominated the first half and were handed a great chance to open the scoring when Deniss Melniks handled inside the area. Kristjan Asllani stepped up to take the resulting penalty and cooly put the hosts in front.
Sylvinho’s side continued to have the better of the play after the break, with Nedim Bajrami and Arber Hoxha forcing Krisjanis Zviedris into saves, but they couldn’t find the second.
England goals: Harry Kane (33), Noni Madueke (35), Ezri Konsa (52), Marc Guehi (75), Marcus Rashford (90, pen)
Harry Kane struck his 74th England goal as Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all grabbed their first as the Three Lions ruthlessly brushed aside Serbia to move seven points clear at the summit of Group K.
Kane notched for the fourth time in five qualifiers when he cleverly found space in the box to head Declan Rice’s corner beyond Dorde Petrovic, and the lead was doubled soon after when a delightful touch from Morgan Rogers released Madueke to burst into the area and fire home.
England’s dominance continued after the interval and Konsa smashed home a loose ball from point-blank range after Petrovic could only parry Anthony Gordon’s shot into the path of Guehi. Serbia’s miserable evening was compounded by the dismissal of captain Nikola Milenkovic for bringing down Kane, with further salt added to their wounds with Guehi sliding home Rice’s resulting free-kick. Marcus Rashford added a fifth from the spot following a VAR review after fellow substitute Ollie Watkins was brought down.
What they said…
“We had an excellent week from start to finish, and it’s making me very happy. We showed our quality and we kept Serbia to no shots on target, we didn’t allow chances. You have to put in a lot of work to do that, a lot of intensity is needed in the duels, a lot of invisible work that you get no praise for, a lot of running, a lot of effort, it was good to watch.”
Thomas Tuchel, England coach
“I will take the blame, the players need support, and we need to encourage them. They are going back to their clubs and hopefully they come back in four weeks’ time ready for the next challenge. It is an off day, and we have to look inside and see what we can do differently.”
Heimir Hallgrimsson, Republic of Ireland coach
How qualifying works
The first round will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the section winners securing World Cup slots. The continent’s four remaining berths will then be settled in a 16-team UEFA play-off competition involving the 12 group runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners.
