Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea in the second half of their World Cup qualifying game on Friday.
Ronaldo risks a two-game ban, which would see him missing the first match of the World Cup tournament, if Portugal qualifies.
Ronaldo swung his right elbow into O’Shea’s back around the hour mark at Aviva Stadium with Ireland holding a surprise 2-0 lead.
The referee issued a yellow card, but minutes later upgraded it to red after a video review.
Troy Parrott scored twice in the first half to revive Irish hopes of qualification.
Meanwhile, two goals from star striker Kylian Mbappé helped send two-time champion France to the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 home win against Ukraine.
Midfielder Michael Olise and substitute forward Hugo Ekitiké added the other goals in a dominant second half from France, the World Cup runner-up in 2022.
Earlier, Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway moved even closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 by beating Estonia 4-1 in Oslo.
The win virtually secures a spot for the high-scoring Norwegians in next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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