Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the 61st minute of the match against Ireland in the FIFA world cup qualifiers leading to a sensational 2-0 victory against Portugal.
The 40-year-old Portugal captain was sent off with a red card with 30 minutes to play elbowing defender Dara O’Shea off the ball during the World Cup qualifiers on Thursday night. Portugal looked strong entering the field with a guaranteed win, but Ireland’s Troy Parrott did the damage with a double goal in the first half securing their qualification in the World Cup.
Republic Of Ireland vs Portugal Match Highlights
The foul was initially preceded by a yellow card; the referee upgraded it to red after reviewing the incident on the pitch monitor following VAR intervention. This was Ronaldo’s first red card in 22 years in his 226th match appearance for Portugal which stands as record in men’s international football.
FIFA’s disciplinary regulations specify that a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play” must be imposed. The rules further state that “at least three matches for violent conduct” or “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing” should be enforced.
Any imposed FIFA ban would only be enforced during competitive games and not be served during pre-tournament friendly games.
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How would Ronaldo’s red card impact Portugal’s next game?
Ronaldo’s dismissal means that he will miss Portugal’s final qualification tie against Armenia due to serving a minimum one-match suspension. However, because he was shown a straight red card for violent conduct the forward could face a three-match ban.
In that case, Ronaldo would miss the first two games in their qualification group, as the suspension would be carried over the tournament. If they were to drop to second in the Group F and reach the tournament through the playoffs, Ronaldo would then be available for the start even if his suspension was extended.
This means that Ronaldo would miss the next qualifier against Armenia who they would have to beat on Sunday for them to qualify. Since the Portugal captain was sent off with a direct red card, his send-off could imply a potential three-match ban ahead of the tournament.
Portugal would have beat Armenia in order to qualify for the FIFA world cup. The loss resulted in Ronaldo’s team with 10 points, just two above Hungary. Portugal would still be in control of their destiny in the World Cup. Portugal will take on Armenia on Sunday at 9 a.m. with Ireland hosting Hungary at the same time.
If they were to drop to second in the group and qualify through the play-offs, Ronaldo would then be available for the start of the tournament even if his suspension was extended. A decision on the length of the Portugal captain’s ban will be made by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
Written by: Atin Kevin.