Harry Kane scored twice as England thrashed Latvia 5-0 on Tuesday to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal were forced to wait to clinch their spot at the finals after being held 2-2 by Hungary.
Elsewhere, pro-Palestinian demonstrations prefaced Italy’s vital win over Israel, and Spain took another step towards qualification with a big victory against Bulgaria.
Thomas Tuchel’s England brushed aside Latvia in Riga to make it six wins from six in Group K and guarantee the top spot before their final two fixtures next month – they have 18 points and an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Albania.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring before Kane produced a lethal finish, and then netted a penalty to make it 3-0 at half-time – the Bayern Mu