The 40-year-old lost his composure at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, striking Dara O’Shea with an elbow after a clash between them, then mocking him with a crying gesture before VAR upgraded the initial yellow card to a red and sent him off early. ..Continue Reading
As a result, the Al-Nassr striker could be ruled out of Portugal’s first match at the 2026 World Cup next summer and is already confirmed to miss Sunday’s final qualifier against Armenia.
As he left the field to loud boos from the home crowd, Ronaldo’s visit to Ireland is likely to be one he won’t forget.
The same goes for the fans in attendance, who witnessed what may be their country’s most impressive result since a 2-0 victory over Italy in 2016.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson was quick to recognize the magnitude of the achievement by his side, ranked 62nd in the FIFA World Rankings, but also disclosed that Ronaldo attempted to shift blame onto him for the red card — the first in his 226 international appearances.
Hallgrimsson dismissed any notion that he influenced the decision, but told the media that Ronaldo made such a claim while exchanging words with the Ireland bench before heading down the tunnel. The coach told reporters:
“He complimented me with putting pressure on the referee but listen, it had nothing to do with me, it was his action on the pitch that cost him a red card. It had nothing to do with me unless I got into his head. He said that to me walking away. He told me it was a clever thing to do. He blamed the referee or whomever for this, but it was his silly decision to attack our player.”
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, on the other hand, tried to justify Ronaldo’s actions, saying his captain had merely attempted to ‘push’ O’Shea away. “It’s difficult for a player like Cristiano to be in the penalty area,” Martinez said.
“He had constant contact with the defenders, who were grabbing him. There was no violence – he tried to push them away. He was unlucky. I think the angle of the images makes it worse than it actually happened. It’s his first red card for the national team, it’s incredible.”
Portugal’s loss delayed their chance to secure early qualification for the World Cup, though they remain six points ahead of Croatia in their group and are still strong favorites to make the tournament.
For Ireland, it marked just their second win in their last seven matches, keeping them third in Group F and preserving their faint hopes of advancing.
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