Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off on Thursday, 13 November, as Troy Parrott fired the Republic of Ireland to a sensational 2-0 victory against Portugal to set up a qualifying showdown with Hungary.
The 40-year-old Portugal captain was dismissed for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea off the ball with a little more than 30 minutes remaining at the Aviva Stadium, but Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men were already well on their way to a win over the side ranked fifth in the world.
AZ Alkmaar striker Parrott’s first-half double ultimately did the damage, but it was a collective performance of true character which laid the foundation for a victory which means a repeat in Budapest on Sunday would clinch runners-up spot in Group F and a chance to make it to next summer’s finals.
Ronaldo was unable to make anything of a series of early chances and although the home side’s forays into opposition territory were few, they grew in frequency and in the 17th minute Liam Scales found space beyond the far post to head Josh Cullen’s set piece back across goal, where Parrott was perfectly placed to turn the ball home from point-blank range.
Caoimhín Kelleher saved from João Félix and Diogo Dalot twice fired over as Portugal stepped up a gear, but the home side extended their lead on the stroke of half-time when Parrott ran on to O’Shea’s ball over the top before cutting inside and beating Diogo Costa at his near post.
Portugal continued to dominate possession, but their hopes suffered a blow when, after being advised to review his 59th-minute decision only to book Ronaldo for swinging an arm at O’Shea, Glenn Nyberg produced a red card after going to the VAR monitor.
There was a brief exchange between Ronaldo and Hallgrímsson on the sideline which ended in a handshake, but both men knew the game was effectively done at that point and the Republic were able to ease their way across the finishing line despite the continuing onslaught.
Ronaldo’s dismissal means that he will definitely miss Portugal’s final qualification tie against Armenia due to serving a minimum one-match suspension. However, because he was shown a straight red card for violent conduct the forward could face a three-match ban.
In that case, Ronaldo would miss Portugal’s first two World Cup group stage games should they top their qualification group, as the suspension would carry over to the tournament.
If they were to drop to second in the Group F and reach the tournament through the playoffs, Ronaldo would then be available for the start even if his suspension was extended.
Hallgrímsson said after the game he may have got into Ronaldo’s head. Ronaldo spoke to the Icelander pointedly as he made his way off the pitch and asked afterwards what he had said, Hallgrímsson revealed: “He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee.
“It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It had nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head.”
Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martínez, said: “The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games – I think that just deserves credit – and today, I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team.
“He was 60 minutes or 58 minutes in the box being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed and obviously when he tries to get away from the defender …
“I think the action looks worse than what it actually is, I don’t think it’s an elbow, I think it’s a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow.”
France Overpower Ukraine
France booked a spot for their eighth consecutive World Cup after a Kylian Mbappé double helped to secure a 4-0 home victory against Ukraine.
Les Bleus, who are unbeaten in a Euro or World Cup qualifying game since 2019, will be seeded when the draw for the tournament is made on 5 December.
Captain Mbappé scored either side of Michael Olise’s 76th-minute goal, before Hugo Ekitike added a late fourth.
France top Group D with 13 points from five games and have an unassailable six-point lead over second-placed Iceland. They will face bottom side Azerbaijan in their final qualifier on Sunday.
EUROPE: World Cup Results
Armenia – Hungary 0:1
Azerbaijan – Iceland 0:2
Norway – Estonia 4:1
Andorra – Albania 0:1
England – Serbia 2:0
Moldova – Italy 0:2
*PHOTO CAPTION: Ronaldo (m) pleading his innocence as O’Shea lies on the turf.
