London: Kylian Mbappé got France out of trouble, Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal do the same with a record-equaling goal, and England finally got its Thomas Tuchel era into gear.
Three of Europe’s soccer powerhouses took big steps closer to the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, all while Erling Haaland scored five goals in an 11-1 win with fresh stitches in his face.
England’s statement win
Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi all scored their first goals for England, who beat Serbia 5-0 for a win which could be a turning point in Tuchel’s tenure.
Despite Tuchel’s recent talk of being prepared to win ugly with long passing, this win was more about managing the game and shutting down Serbia, which had made England fight hard for a 1-0 win at Euro 2024. Harry Kane was crucial, finding space to score the opening goal with a header from Declan Rice’s corner.
The captain cemented England’s advantage late on with smart movement to get in behind the defense on a move that ended with a red card for Nikola Milenkovic, who denied a clear scoring chance by Kane. Guehi scored England’s fourth from the resulting free kick.
“The energy has been higher and the level has been higher,” Kane told BBC radio. “Serbia are a good team, and we made them look average tonight.”
France held on with 10 men to beat Iceland 2-1 after coming from behind thanks to a goal and assist from Mbappé.
France lead Group D after winning their first two games, with Iceland second. Oleksandr Zinchenko conceded a penalty for handball as third-place Ukraine’s chances of qualifying plunged in a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan.
Joao Cancelo scored the winning goal in the 86th to give Portugal a 3-2 victory over Hungary, its second win to start the qualifying campaign, after two goals from Barnabas Varga had given Hungary hope.
Playing with stitches in his face following an accident with a bus door, Erling Haaland scored five goals, including a first-half hat trick, as Norway demolished Moldova 11-1 to extend lead over Italy at the top of Group I to six points. agencies