The football icon was dismissed for elbowing Ireland’s Dara O’Shea during the second half of Thursday’s qualifier, which ended in a 2-0 defeat for Portugal in Dublin. ..Continue Reading
Ronaldo is set to serve an automatic one-match suspension for the red card when Portugal welcomes Armenia on Sunday, with victory guaranteeing a spot at the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s disciplinary guidelines mandate a suspension of “at least two matches for serious foul play.”
Punishment increases to “at least three matches for violent conduct” or “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing.”
Such a FIFA ban would apply strictly to official fixtures and cannot be served during warm-up games.
Ronaldo turned and struck O’Shea with his right elbow as both players waited for a cross near the hour mark at Aviva Stadium, with Ireland leading 2-0.
Initially shown a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to red following a VAR review at the sideline monitor.
As he exited the pitch, Ronaldo gave a wry expression while being booed and taunted by Irish supporters.
He paused to acknowledge the crowd, clapping and giving two thumbs up in what appeared to be a mocking gesture.
Set to turn 41 in February, Ronaldo is targeting a historic sixth appearance at the World Cup.
The tournament draw will take place on Dec. 5 in Washington DC, where Portugal — if qualified — will discover its group stage opponents.
Ireland striker Troy Parrott scored twice in the first half on Thursday, reigniting hopes of reaching the tournament via the playoffs ahead of their clash with second-place Hungary on Sunday.
Portugal currently leads Group F with 10 points, followed by Hungary with eight, while Ireland sits third with seven.
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