England qualifies by routing Latvia. Ronaldo and Portugal miss chance to clinch a spot

Latvia’s Maksims Tonisevs pulls the shirt of England’s Harry Kane

England became the first country from Europe to qualify for the 2026 World Cup yesterday [Macau time] but Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will have to wait after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer against Hungary.

England won 5-0 at Latvia, with captain Harry Kane scoring twice in the first half, to assure first place in its group with two matches to spare. The English, who will be appearing at an eighth straight World Cup, haven’t conceded a goal in six matches in qualifying so far under German coach Thomas Tuchel.

“Sometimes we make it look easy,” said Kane, who already has a total of 21 goals for England and Bayern Munich this season, “but these groups and games can be tough. … We talk about high standards no matter who we play against to keep the momentum, and that showed.”

Portugal looked set to join England in next year’s tournament in North America after two goals from the 40-year-old Ronaldo established a 2-1 lead over Hungary in Lisbon. A win would have guaranteed Portugal a first-place finish but Dominik Szoboszlai made it 2-2 in the first minute of added-on time to leave second-place Hungary five points back with two games left.

Ronaldo at least left the match with another scoring record. He now has 41 goals in World Cup qualifiers, breaking a tie for 39 he had with Guatemala player Carlos Ruiz.

Italy, which has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, guaranteed itself at least a place in the playoffs after beating Israel 3-0 in a match laced with tension, played amid a hefty police and military presence, and preceded by a pro-Palestinian march attended by an estimated 10,000 people.

The match was placed in the highest risk category despite a breakthrough ceasefire deal that has paused two years of war in Gaza.

The second-placed Azzurri moved three points behind Norway, which has a much healthier goal difference. Both teams have two matches left next month, including a game against each other in Italy in the final round of qualifiers.

Spain stayed top of its group, three points clear of Turkey, by beating Bulgaria 4-0 to maintain its 100% start to the qualifying campaign.

Turkey also won, 4-1 at home to Georgia, and at least looks set for the spot in the playoffs.

Tuchel impressing

Tuchel is putting his own stamp on the England team — and might potentially be winning over some critics who wanted an English person in charge of the national team.

He has made some big calls, like leaving out high-profile players like Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from the squad and taking on England’s fans for being too quiet in the last match, but is getting some impressive results — albeit against mediocre opposition.

If the 5-0 win in Serbia last month was the statement result in Tuchel’s tenure so far, this latest thrashing was another sign of the assuredness and ruthlessness in the team. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, Kane added two more in the first half, and there was an own-goal as well as a strike from substitute Eberechi Eze after halftime.

“Brilliant — such a good mood in the dressing room,” Tuchel said, while England defender John Stones added: “We’re building something special.”

Portugal denied

Expect Ronaldo still to get to a record sixth World Cup, but he must wait another month for that to be confirmed.

Portugal missed a chance to wrap up qualification early, with Szoboszlai converting a low cross at the back post to quieten the home fans at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Attila Szalai gave Hungary an eighth-minute lead with a header from a corner before the enduring Ronaldo stole the show, finding space to tap in his 142nd and 143rd international goals — another record he holds in the men’s game.

The Al-Nassr striker has now scored at least two goals in a game for Portugal on 37 occasions, UEFA said.

Portugal needs just a point from its next match, in Ireland on Nov. 13, to clinch a seventh straight qualification to the World Cup.

Merino double

On a night of scoring doubles, Mikel Merino netted twice for Spain as the European champions made it four wins from four matches in qualifying and are yet to concede a goal.

After an own-goal, Mikel Oyarzabal added a late fourth for Spain, which plays Georgia away and Turkey at home next month.

Turkey, for whom Merih Demiral scored twice against Georgia, has not just three points but an inferior goal difference of 12 to make up to the Spanish.

Snipers on roof

Another player with two goals was Mateo Retegui for Italy in Udine, where the heavy police presence included snipers on the roof of the 25,000-seat Stadio Friuli.

Less than 10,000 tickets were sold for the match that passed off without major disruption on the field, after earlier skirmishes between protesters and police on the streets of the city. STEVE DOUGLAS, Sports Writer, MDT/AP