FIFA WC Qualifiers: Cristiano Ronaldo sent off as Ireland stun Portugal, France seal spot

Dublin [Ireland], November 14 (ANI): Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off while Ireland delivered a stunner, defeating Portugal 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers on Friday, leaving Roberto Martinez's side still waiting for their spot in the marquee tournament.

The current Nations League champions needed just a win heading into the match to qualify for the tournament, but Troy Parrott's brace put their qualification in jeopardy for a while.

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.

Things took a turn for the worse for Portugal as Cristiano was sent off for swinging an elbow at Dara O'Shea off the ball. Initially shown a yellow card, the card was upgraded to a red one after a VAR review.

This loss leaves Portugal in need of beating Armenia to qualify for the marquee tournament on Sunday.

Ronaldo's 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, France booked their World Cup slot as a brace from superstar Kylian Mbappe helped his side beat Ukraine 4-0, with Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike concluding 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. (ANI)

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