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Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo suffered one of the most embarrassing moments of his career on Thursday evening.
Irish delight
The Republic of Ireland roared back to life with a 2-0 win over lifeless Portugal, who were without the suspended Bruno Fernandes.
A Troy Parrott brace before half-time gave the Boys in Green a famous victory at the Aviva Stadium, and keeps their World Cup qualification hopes alive heading into the group’s final match.
Ronaldo nightmare
Ronaldo has once again played a key role in his side’s success as they top the qualifying group.
He scored five goals in the qualifying process but was unable to add to his tally last night.
After a frustrating evening in front of goal, Ronaldo collided with Ipswich Town defender Dara O’Shea in the penalty area.
The BBC report that while waiting for a cross, the 40-year-old stuck his elbow into O’Shea’s back as he jostled for position while waiting for a cross, causing the Ipswich defender to tumble to the grass and triggering a strong reaction from the Irish players and fans at the Aviva Stadium.
Referee Glenn Nyberg had initially issued a yellow card, but after reviewing the incident using the VAR monitors, he decided to change his decision to red.
This sparked wild celebrations from the Irish fans who mercilessly taunted the United legend, telling him not to cry over the decision.
This involved the 40-year-old claiming O’Shea ducked and cried over the offence.
In response to the red, Ronaldo sarcastically applauded the Dublin crowd and gave a thumbs up, suggesting they were playing their part in red.
On top of that, he lost further steam by getting into a heated argument with the Irish bank, suggesting they were talking too much.
Speaking about the incident after the match, Ireland manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson said: “He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee. It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It had nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head.”
All in all it was a dreadful night for Ronaldo, who had just one shot on target and completed just 19 passes, as his influence was limited by a determined Irish defense.
Cristiano Ronaldo stats vs Ireland
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Total shots | 5 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Shots blocked | 1 |
| Touches | 28 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Property lost | 3 |
| Key cards | 1 |
| Cross (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Precise passes | 19/22 (86%) |
| Passes in opposition half (according to) | 18/21 (86%) |
| Passing in own half (according to) | 1/1 (100%) |
| Tackles (won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Ground duels (won) | 1 (0) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 2 (0) |
| Violations | 1 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
Source: Bank score
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