In the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off as Ireland registered a dominating win by 2-0 over Portugal.
The loss continued the wait for Roberto Martinez`s team to seal a spot in the upcoming marquee tournament. The Nations League champions were just one win shy from sealing their spot in the World Cup, but Ireland`s Troy Parrott`s brace has put their qualification in danger.
After the loss, the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side now needs to defeat Armenia to qualify for the marquee tournament.
The AZ Alkmaar striker opened the scoring for his team in the 135th minute with a close-range header, and at the stroke of half-time, doubled his team`s lead.
During the match, the situation worsened for the Portuguese team when Ronaldo was sent off after he swung an elbow at Dara O`Shea. Initially, the 40-year-old football star was shown a yellow card, but was later upgraded to red after the VAR review.
His red card means that he will miss the match against Armenia, as he would be serving a minimum of one-match suspension. But the red card also means that he could even face a three-match ban, missing out on the start of the World Cup next year as well.
As per Sky Sports, in FIFA`s Disciplinary Code, Chapter 2, Article 14(i) says that if a player is sent off for “assault, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting or hitting an opponent,” they should face a three-match ban.
On the other hand, skipper Kylian Mbappe`s brace helped France to book their spot in the World Cup. They defeated Ukraine by 4-0. Liverpool`s Hugo Ekitike concluded the scoring to make sure that the finalists of the last two editions booked their tickets to the tournament.
Also, Erling Haaland`s red-hot form continued as Norway defeated Estonia 4-1, all but securing their World Cup spot. Four goals came in 12 minutes during the second half, including two from Haaland, putting them on the brink of qualification, something which they could have achieved had Italy not won against Moldova.
Norway will play against Italy in their final qualification match, which will be hosted by the multi-time champions.
(With ANI Inputs)
