Source:REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
[Saba Sports News] In the 5th round of Group F of the European World Cup qualifiers, the Republic of Ireland defeated Portugal 2-0 at home. In the 61st minute, Cristiano Ronaldo committed a retaliatory elbow strike on an opponent. Initially, referee Glen Nyberg showed Ronaldo a yellow card, but the Video Assistant Referee recommended an on-field review, after which Ronaldo’s punishment was upgraded to a red card. Statistics show this was Ronaldo’s first red card in 226 appearances for the Portuguese national team. Counting his entire career, this is Ronaldo’s 13th red card, with the previous 12 all occurring in club competitions. Notably, before the referee reviewed the VAR, Ronaldo made a ‘crying’ gesture; when he was sent off, Irish fans in the stands collectively made the same gesture back at him. Before the match, Ronaldo had said in an interview: “I hope they don’t boo me too much tomorrow, I swear I’ll try to be a good boy.” Clearly, receiving his first national team red card in this match was not what he wanted. A red card typically results in a suspension for one to three official matches, depending on the severity of the foul. This means Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s final World Cup qualifier against Armenia. Portugal must win this match to secure direct qualification for next year’s World Cup.