WCQ: Haaland hits five, England thrash Serbia, France survive scare

It was a dramatic night across Europe as teams continued their push toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with France, Portugal, and England all recording important victories, while Ireland’s campaign suffered a damaging setback.

France 2–1 Iceland

France were forced to dig deep in Paris after falling behind to Andri Lucas Gudjohnsen’s early strike. Kylian Mbappé equalised from the spot just before the break, overtaking Thierry Henry in France’s all-time scoring charts.

Bradley Barcola struck the decisive goal midway through the second half, and despite Aurélien Tchouaméni’s late red card, Les Bleus held on to claim their second straight win in Group D.

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Portugal 3–2 Hungary

In Budapest, Portugal edged a thriller to stay perfect in Group F. Barnabás Varga twice found the net for Hungary, but goals from Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, and a stunning late strike from João Cancelo secured a vital 3–2 win for Roberto Martínez’s side.

England 5–0 Serbia

England produced a ruthless display in Belgrade to tighten their grip on Group K. Captain Harry Kane opened the scoring before Noni Madueke netted his first international goal.

Defenders Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi added to the tally, and Marcus Rashford converted a stoppage-time penalty to seal a commanding 5–0 victory. The result leaves England eight points clear at the top of the group, virtually assured of qualification.

Armenia 2–1 Republic of Ireland

Armenia stunned Ireland in Yerevan, piling pressure on Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side. The defeat leaves the Irish with just one point from two matches and in real danger of missing out on World Cup qualification.

Azerbaijan 1–1 Ukraine

Ukraine looked set for a valuable away win until a late penalty allowed Azerbaijan to snatch a draw in Group D.

Norway 11–1 Moldova