England perfect, Portugal ruthless and Parrott steals the night!

England continues to defy criticism with cold, mechanical efficiency.

Their football may not be dazzling, and Thomas Tuchel has heard plenty from detractors on the island, but the numbers silence everyone: 8-0, goal difference 22:0.

No side has ever cruised through qualification for a major international tournament as emphatically.

There is still space for improvement, of course.

Will one of the World Cup favourites look sharper and more dangerous when the lights brighten in the United States, Mexico and Canada? Can this routine dominance survive a clash with elite opponents? Those questions will continue to hover above Tuchel's head, but for now, the criticism will have to wait.

The trip to Tirana offered little in terms of drama, as the Three Lions celebrated a 2-0 away win.

The German manager rotated heavily compared to the Serbia match, leaving Rashford, Rodgers, James, Pickford, Anderson and Konsa on the bench.

From the start, he entrusted Bellingham, Quansah, Eze, Wharton and Bowen. And once again, Harry Kane delivered: a late brace in the 74th and 82nd minutes, taking his season tally for club and country to 28 goals by mid-November.

At this pace, the England captain will be among the frontrunners for the next Ballon d'Or - especially if England go deep at the World Cup.

On the other hand, even without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Martinez's side secured their World Cup berth in style, dismantling Armenia with a performance fuelled by Bruno Fernandes, who scored a hat-trick and recorded two assists. Joao Neves added a hat-trick of his own.

Armenia briefly struck back after Veiga's opener, but it only woke the beast. Defensive chaos, a disastrous back-pass punished by Goncalo Ramos, and relentless Portuguese pressure put the match out of reach by half-time. Four more goals followed after the break, sealing a celebratory night, 9-1 win, and a well-deserved ticket to the World Cup.

But the most emotional story of the night belonged not to a giant, but to a nation revived by one young man’s dream.

Having etched his name into Irish folklore, Troy Parrott could no longer hold back the tears.

After stunning Portugal with a brace on Thursday, the 23-year-old carried an entire nation's hopes into Budapest - and delivered again.

With Ireland needing a win to reach the play-offs, Parrott dragged his team back into the match twice: first from the penalty spot after Daniel Lukacs' early header, and again with a delicate finish following Barnabas Varga's spectacular strike.

And in the dying minutes, after substitute Johnny Kenny had been denied, Parrott seized destiny. He latched onto Liam Scales' flick, nudged the ball past the Hungarian keeper, and wheeled away in disbelief as the Irish bench erupted.

"This is why we love football," the AZ Alkmaar striker told RTE, overwhelmed as tears streamed down his face. "I love where I am from, so this means the world to me. I don't think I will ever have a better night in my whole life."

It was raw, magical, and unmistakably Irish - a moment worthy of the nation's first World Cup play-off push since 2017.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - EUROPE

Sunday

Hungary - R. Ireland 2-3 (2-1)

/Lukacs 3, Varga 37 - Parrott 15 pen, 80, 90+6/

Portugal - Armenia 9-1 (5-1)

/Veiga 7, Neves 30, 41, 81, Ramos 28, Bruno 45+3 pen, 51, 72 pen, Conseisao 90+2 - Spertsjan 18/

Albania - England 0-2 (0-0)

/Kane 74, 82/

Azerbaijan - France 1-3 (1-3)

/Dadasov 4 - Mateta 17, Akliouche 30, Mahammadalyiev 45 og/

Serbia - Latvia 2-1 (0-1)

/Katai 49, Stankovic 60 - Gutkovskis 12/

Ukraine - Iceland 2-0 (0-0)

/Zubkov 83, Hutsuliak 90+3/

Israel - Moldova 4-1 (1-1)

/Turgeman 21 pen, Revivo 65, Peretz 85, Babohlo 88 og - Nicolaescu 37/

Italy - Norway 1-4 (1-0)

/Esposito 11 - Nusa 63, Haaland 78,79, Strand Larsen 90+3/