Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Cristiano Ronaldo faces a potential ban from the opening match of the 2026 World Cup following his first ever red card in international football in Portugal’s 2-0 defeat by the Republic of Ireland on Thursday. The incident occurred in the 61st minute when Ronaldo elbowed Ireland defender Dara O’Shea. A yellow card was initially shown, but the referee increased it to a red after VAR intervened after reviewing the incident on the pitch monitor.
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It was Ronaldo’s first red card for Portugal in his 226th appearance, a record in men’s international football. He received 13 red cards at club level.Striker Al Nassr will serve an automatic one-match ban when Portugal face Armenia on Sunday. A win in that match would secure Portugal a spot at the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.FIFA’s disciplinary rules state that a ban of “at least two matches for a grossly egregious foul” must be imposed.The rules further specify that “at least three bouts for violent conduct” or “at least three bouts or a reasonable amount of time for assault, including elbows” should be applied.Any FIFA ban would only apply to competitive matches and could not be served during pre-tournament friendlies.Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended his captain after the game, saying: “The red card is just a captain who has never been sent off before in 226 games – I think he deserves credit – and today I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team. He was in the box for 60 minutes or 58 minutes, he was caught, he was pulled by a defender, he was pushed and of course I think it looks like he’s trying… don’t think it’s the elbow, i think it’s the whole body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. “The only thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth is in the press conference (Wednesday), your coach was talking about the aspect of influencing the referees, and then the big center half falls to the floor so dramatically with the rotation of Cristiano’s body.”Portugal went into the match knowing that a win would guarantee them qualification for the World Cup. However, Irishman Troy Parrott scored twice and secured an unexpected win for the visitors.Portugal maintain a two-point lead over Hungary in Group F. A win against Armenia would secure Ronaldo his sixth World Cup.Ronaldo promised to behave himself ahead of the game and expected a hostile reception at the Aviva Stadium. It follows controversy in the previous meeting between the teams, where he celebrated Rúben Neves’ late winner in front of Ireland defender Jake O’Brien.Ireland supporters have previously accused Ronaldo of influencing referees. Their coach Heimir Hallgrimsson asked Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg not to allow Ronaldo to control the game.After his dismissal, Ronaldo made what appeared to be a sarcastic gesture, clapping and giving two thumbs up as Irish fans jeered him. He also spoke to Hallgrimsson as he left the pitch.Asked about his interaction with Ronaldo, Hallgrimsson revealed: “He praised me for putting pressure on the referee. It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It was nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head.”As for any post-match conversation with Ronaldo, Hallgrimsson added: “No, I think we talked enough when he left. There was nothing to talk about. I would say it was just a moment of little stupidity from him.”
