Hajnal the hero as Hungary eke out Estonia

Tamás Hajnal scored the only goal as Hungary defeated Estonia in FIFA World Cup qualifying Group D.

Coach Sándor Egervári was eager for his Hungary side to atone for their 4-1 home defeat by the Netherlands, but a goalless first half had the visitors on edge. Hajnal quelled any fears immediately after the restart, his goal keeping six-point Hungary within a win of leading pair the Netherlands and Romania.

The away fans will have been scratching their heads at how their dominant team went into the break with the game still scoreless. Tamás Koltai was guilty of passing up two golden chances, firing wide from Zoltán Gera's deep cross from the left, and later missing with an angled low drive.

Hajnal broke the deadlock in style after the break, though, controlling a loose ball with his first touch before sending it into the top corner with a spectacular second. Against a team still to score in qualifying, the lead looked a solid one, although Andres Oper could have levelled after a mix-up in the Hungarian defence.

Late on, Estonian keeper Sergei Pareiko denied Ádám Szalai when one-on-one, but his side slipped to a third successive defeat. They will hope to register their first points in Andorra on Tuesday, when Hungary host Turkey.