Kylian Mbappé got France out of trouble, Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal do the same, and England finally got its Thomas Tuchel era into gear

England's Marc Guehi, left, celebrates with England's Harry Kane after scoring his side's fourth goal during the World Cup Group K qualifying soccer match between Serbia and England, at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Kylian Mbappé got France out of trouble, Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal do the same, 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, which 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.

Also in Group K, Albania beat Latvia 1-0.

France clings on

France held on with 10 men to beat Iceland 2-1 after coming from behind thanks to a goal and assist from Mbappé.

Iceland took a surprise lead when Michael Olise gave away the ball in his own penalty area and Andri Gudjohnsen pounced on it to score. Mbappé finally got France into the game when he converted a penalty just before halftime after being shoved by Mikael Anderson.

...

France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during a World Cup Group D qualifying soccer match between France and Iceland at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mbappé led a break for the second goal and set up Bradley Barcola to score in the 62nd but France's task got harder when Aurélien Tchouaméni was sent off soon after.

Oleksandr Zinchenko conceded a penalty for handball as Ukraine's chances of qualifying plunged in a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan, which had fired ex-Portugal coach Fernando Santos following its 5-0 loss to Iceland last week.

Cancelo gets Portugal over the line

Joao Cancelo scored the winning goal in the 86th to give Portugal a 3-2 victory over Hungary after two goals from Barnabas Varga had given Hungary hope of an upset.

Ronaldo scored a penalty to give Portugal a 2-1 lead earlier after winning a penalty by flicking the ball into Loic Nego's outstretched arm. Ireland's hopes of a first World Cup appearance since 2002 took a heavy blow with a 2-1 loss to Armenia.

Stitched-up Haaland scores in 11-1 win

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 its lead over Italy at the top of Group I to six points. Norway has played one more game.

Austria on track

Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer scored to lift Austria to a 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina which brings it closer to a first World Cup qualification since 1998. Cyprus and Romania drew 2-2.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scores his side's second goal from the penalty spot during a World Cup 2026 group F qualifying soccer match between Hungary and Portugal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Norway's Erling Haaland, right, celebrates scoring during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Norway and Moldova at Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Tuesday Sept. 9, 2025. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)