A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal would have stood had the two football associations agreed before the game to use goal-line technology, Uefa said on Monday.

Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday’s Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrovic after the ball had crossed the line as shown by television replays.

With no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in place to review the incident, match officials waved play on and a livid Ronaldo left the pitch seconds before the final whistle as he also threw away the captain’s armband while heading towards the tunnel.

“The decision to use goal-line technology for the European Qualifiers lies with the host association for each match,” the European soccer governing body said. “If the host association plans to implement goal-line technology, they must also obtain written consent from the visiting association,” Uefa added.

Match referee Danny Makkelie told Portuguese newspaper A Bola that he had apologised to Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the mistake.

Big guns win

Qualifiers took a quirky turn when the goalposts were removed before a match between Switzerland and Lithuania because they were deemed the incorrect size.

All of the continent’s heavyweight countries secured victories, though Spain left it late — the second minute of stoppage time, to be precise — to see off Georgia 2-1 after falling behind.

Italy registered a 2-0 win in Bulgaria and England also moved onto a maximum six points in group play with a 2-0 victory at Albania, with Harry Kane and Mason Mount on target. Germany made it two straight wins by beating Romania 1-0 away.

Lewa ruled out

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski will miss Wednesday’s match against England at Wembley with a knee injury. The 32-year-old limped off during Sunday’s 3-0 win over Andorra after scoring two goals.