LISBON — Another goal, another record for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo became the player with most goals in World Cup qualifiers after scoring twice for Portugal in its 2-2 draw with Hungary on Tuesday.
His first goal — from close range in the 22nd minute — was Ronaldo’s 40th in a World Cup qualifying match, breaking a tie with former Guatemala player Carlos Ruiz.
The Al-Nassr striker then added a second in first-half stoppage time to extend his record to 41 goals in the 50 World Cup qualifiers he has played.
Ronaldo now has a record-extending 143 goals in men’s internationals.
He left the field in the 78th minute with the score at 2-1 and Hungary equalized in stoppage time through Dominik Szoboszlai, preventing Portugal from clinching a spot in the World Cup with two group games to spare.
Portugal still leads Group F by five points ahead of second-place Hungary.
In other World Cup action, England became the first country from Europe to qualify.
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 combined 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.”
In Johannesburg, South Africa punched its ticket back to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010. Ivory Coast and Senegal will also be there as the latest teams from Africa to qualify.
South Africa secured a spot in North America after beating Rwanda 3-0 Tuesday to top its qualifying group, despite being docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in earlier games.
South Africa’s victory meant Nigeria finished second in the group and will have to qualify through a playoff, despite beating Benin 4-0 at home after a hat trick from star striker Victor Osimhen. Benin had led the group before the last round.
Ivory Coast also secured automatic qualification after a 3-0 win over a Kenya, one point ahead of Gabon. The Elephants had missed the last two tournaments.
Senegal reached its third straight World Cup after beating Mauritania 4-0 to qualify as winner of Group B, two points ahead of Congo.
In Doha, Qatar, Qatar and Saudi Arabia both secured their spots after clinching first place in their groups in the fourth round of Asian qualifying.
Qatar defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-1 and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 with Iraq.
It marks the first time that Qatar, which lost all three group-stage games when it hosted the 2022 tournament, has advanced through qualification. Saudi Arabia, which will stage the 2034 World Cup, will appear for a seventh time next summer in North America.
“It’s amazing, an incredible day,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui told broadcaster beIN Sports.
Lopetegui now gets another chance to coach at a World Cup after he was fired by Spain just two days before the start of the 2018 tournament after he accepted the job as Real Madrid manager.
“For me, it’s one of the best days in my career,” Lopetegui said. “Today I think is one big achievement we have to enjoy.”
The victory put Qatar atop Group A, ahead of second-place UAE, which now moves on to a November playoff against Iraq. Oman was eliminated after finishing third in the group.
Qatar was reduced to 10 men when Tarek Salman was shown a straight red card in the 87th minute. After eight of the 15 minutes added on, UAE pulled a goal back through Sultan Adil’s shot from inside the area to ensure a tense finish. UAE would have advanced with a draw.
After defeating Indonesia last Wednesday, Saudi Arabia got the draw it needed against Iraq in Jeddah to win Group B. The home team had most of the possession in a game of few chances but couldn’t find a breakthrough. Iraq would have qualified for the first time since 1986 with a win.
Japan and South Korea, which have already secured a World Cup spot, both won friendlies against South American teams.
Japan beat Brazil for the first time, fighting from two goals down to win 3-2 in Tokyo. Ayase Ueda grabbed the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute.
South Korea beat Paraguay 2-0 in Seoul.
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