Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Dublin ended in controversy after he was sent off in Portugal’s World Cup qualifier defeat to the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. The 40-year-old had joked before the game that he would “try to be a good boy” to avoid aggravating Irish supporters, but a clash in the penalty area on the hour left him walking off to boos.
With Portugal 2-0 down following Troy Parrott’s first-half brace, Ronaldo and Irish defender Dara O’Shea tangled as Ronaldo waited for a cross. While jostling for position, Ronaldo appeared to push his arm or elbow into O’Shea’s back, sending the Ipswich centre-half to the ground and prompting an angry reaction from the home side.
Referee Glenn Nyberg originally issued a yellow card, but after the video assistant referee advised a pitch-side review, Nyberg upgraded the decision to a straight red. Ronaldo, clearly furious, sarcastically applauded sections of the crowd and exchanged words with Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson as he left the field.
Hallgrimsson, who had earlier urged referees not to be influenced by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and had suggested in the past that Ronaldo had “controlled the referee,” declined to take credit for the dismissal. “It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card,” he said after the game. “Unless I got into his head — I think we spoke enough when he came off. This was just a moment of a little silliness from him.”
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended his captain and criticised Hallgrimsson’s pre-match remarks. Martinez pointed out that Ronaldo had never been sent off in 226 international appearances and described the incident as harsher in replay than in reality. “He was being grabbed, pulled, pushed in the box for a long time,” Martinez said, adding that the angle made the challenge look worse and that he considered it more a body push than an elbow. He also said Hallgrimsson’s comments left a “bitter taste,” noting a Republic of Ireland centre-half fell theatrically during the sequence.
Disciplinary consequences are now pending. Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia and faces the prospect of a further ban for violent conduct. Under FIFA’s disciplinary code, assaults including elbowing carry suspensions of “at least three matches.” If a three-match ban is imposed, the suspension could be served across the remaining qualifier and World Cup fixtures: Ronaldo would sit out the Armenia game and — should Portugal qualify automatically — miss the first two group matches at next year’s tournament. If Portugal instead go through play-offs, any ban could be applied to those ties. A disciplinary committee will determine the length of the suspension.
Whatever the outcome, the red card provided a dramatic and contentious end to Ronaldo’s visit to a city where he once played for Real Madrid in a pre-season friendly 16 years earlier, and ensured his evening at the Aviva will be remembered more for the sending-off than any warm reminiscences.
