CRISTIANO RONALDO was SENT OFF during Portugal’s crucial World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Ronaldo’s moment of madness came in the 62nd minute with Portugal trailing 2-0 following two first-half goals from Troy Parrott.
Ronaldo, 40, swung his elbow into the back of defender Dara O’Shea after being dragged into a tussle with the Ipswich Town star.
A frustrated Ronaldo was initially booked before VAR sent referee Glenn Nyberg to the monitor to have another look.
The Swedish official wasted no time in overturning his original decision and upgraded the card to a red.
Ronaldo, who was the subject of boos throughout the match, then sarcastically applauded fans and had words with Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson.
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It was the 13th red card of the five-time Ballon d’Or‘s legendary career.
But it was just the first time the forward has received a red card in his 226 appearances at international level.
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Bernardo Silva initially took the captain’s armband off the departing star, but was himself replaced soon after as manager Roberto Martinez chose to twist in search of a comeback.
Ronaldo’s marching down the tunnel saw Joao Felix and Silva make way for Rafa Leao and Francisco Trincao.
But those additions could not spur the visitors to a comeback, with the scoreline remaining at 2-0 until the final whistle.
The sending off means the billionaire will miss Portugal’s final World Cup Qualifier on Sunday against Armenia, one which they go into just two points clear of second-placed Hungary.
But, in far worse news for Ronaldo, the sending off could also mean that he misses the first game of next summer‘s tournament in America, Canada and Mexico, should Portugal automatically qualify.
Ronaldo confirmed midweek that the 2026 showpiece will be his last, with the 40-year-old set to make more history with a record sixth World Cup competition, alongside Lionel Messi.
Suspensions picked up as a consequence of an accumulation of yellow cards do not carry over into tournaments, but straight red cards do.
Just hours before kick-off in Dublin, Ronaldo had ironically promised to be a “good boy” on his return to the Irish capital.
He said: “I really like the fans here. The support they give to their national team is lovely.
“For me, it’s a pleasure to play here again, I hope they don’t boo me too much tomorrow – I swear that I’m going to try to be a good boy.”
He also bizarrely called for the stadium to “boo” him.
While winking, he added: “I repeat, I hope that no [one] boo[s] again against me tomorrow.
“It will take the pressure off other players. What I want most is to enjoy myself. It’s not decisive but we know that with a victory, we qualify. We want to finish it off now.”
Ireland captain Nathan Collins said he “doesn’t know” why Ronaldo celebrated Ruben Neves’ late winner for Portugal in front of Jake O’Brien’s face when the teams met in October.
The Al-Nassr striker had a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher in the game in Lisbon, before Neves scored a 91st-minute header to hand Roberto Martinez’s side a 1-0 win.
Ronaldo was jeered every time he touched the ball in the 2021 goalless draw between the two sides.
Ireland meanwhile kept their play-off hopes alive, but must win against Hungary in Budapest on Sunday.
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An opposition player has now been sent off in all three of the Republic of Ireland’s home World Cup qualifiers.
It was Roland Sallai for Hungary, Tigran Barseghyan for Armenia, and now Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal.
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