Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez commented on the red card shown to forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo during the Matchday 5 fixture of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland.
It's difficult for a player like Cristiano who's in the area. He had constant contact with the defenders, grabbing him. There's no violence, he tries to push them away. He was unlucky. I think the angle of the images makes it worse than what actually happened.
The match ended in a 2-0 victory for Ireland.
Recall that Cristiano Ronaldo received a straight red card for an elbow strike to the head of defender Dara O’Shea. For the 40-year-old Portuguese, this marked his first red card in any international match throughout his career.
As a result, Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s final Group F fixture against Armenia on November 16 in Porto.
Currently, Portugal sits top of their qualifying group with 10 points. Hungary follows with eight points, Ireland with seven, and Armenia with three.
