Cristiano Ronaldo sent off in Portugal's loss at Republic of Ireland in 2026 World Cup qualifying

Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he may have got into Cristiano Ronaldo's head after he received a red card which could rule him out of Portugal's first two World Cup group games during Thursday's qualifier in Dublin.

The 40-year-old was dismissed in the second half for elbowing defender Dara O'Shea with his side already trailing 2-0 at the Aviva Stadium, a day after Hallgrimsson had urged Swedish match official Glenn Nyberg not to allow him to referee the game.

Ronaldo will serve a minimum one-game suspension, meaning he will definitely miss Portugal's final qualifier against Armenia on Sunday, but the nature of the dismissal could trigger a three-game ban, according to FIFA rules.

Ronaldo spoke to Icelander Hallgrimsson pointedly as he made his way off the pitch. Asked afterwards what he had said, Hallgrimsson revealed: "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."

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Asked further if he had spoken to the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star after the final whistle, Hallgrimsson added: "No, I think we spoke enough when he came off.

"There was nothing to speak about. This was just a moment of a little silliness from him, I would say."

Ronaldo said earlier this week that next summer's World Cup will be his last major tournament before he retires.

Martinez backs Ronaldo and criticises Hallgrimsson

Ireland were already in the driving seat when Ronaldo's 59th-minute rush of blood effectively ended their chances, his swinging arm prompting VAR official Pol van Boekel to send Nyberg to the pitchside monitor before he upgraded the yellow card he had initially awarded to red.

Portugal boss Roberto Martinez said: "The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games - I think that just deserves credit - and today, I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team.

"He was 60 minutes or 58 minutes in the box being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed and obviously when he tries to get away from the defender…

"I think the action looks worse than what it actually is, I don't think it's an elbow, I think it's a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it.

"The only thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth is at the press conference yesterday, your coach was talking about the aspect of the referees being influenced, and then a big centre-half falls on the floor so dramatically at the turn of Cristiano's body."

How Ronaldo could miss start of World Cup

Ronaldo's dismissal at the Aviva Stadium means that he will definitely miss Portugal's final qualification tie against Armenia due to serving a minimum one-match suspension.

However, the nature of the red card means that the forward could be hit with a three-match ban.

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 serve a three-game ban.

In that case, Ronaldo would miss Portugal's opening two World Cup group stage games should they top Group F, as the suspension would carry over to the tournament.

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.

Parrott's heroics stun Portugal

If Ronaldo was the villain, ex-Tottenham striker Troy Parrott was Ireland's hero, heading home from close range after 17 minutes and then beating keeper Diogo Costa at his near post on the stroke of half-time to seal a victory which ranks alongside previous famous wins over the Netherlands, then world champions Germany and Italy.

However, his contribution was only made possible by the green wall Ireland built to prevent Ronaldo and his team-mates from repeating their 1-0 win in Lisbon last month.

The AZ Alkmaar forward told RTE: "It's the best night I've ever had in my whole life, I have no words to describe it."

Ireland would have been out of contention for second place in the group had they lost after Hungary's earlier 1-0 win in Armenia, and they still need to beat Hungary in Budapest on Sunday if they are to remain alive in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Portugal knew a win would have been good enough to secure their place at next summer's tournament, but the defeat means that the Nations League holders will now have to beat Armenia on Sunday to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup.

France book World Cup spot as Italy force Norway to wait

Elsewhere, France booked their tickets to North America as a Kylian Mbappe double helped Didier Deschamps' side overcome Ukraine 4-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe scored either side of Michael Olise's goal before Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike rounded off the scoring to ensure that Les Bleus confirmed their place, having made it to the final in each of the last two World Cup's.

Earlier, Erling Haaland continued his incredible goalscoring form as Norway demolished Estonia 4-1 to all but secure their qualification.

Four goals in 12 second half minutes, two coming from the Manchester City striker, put Stale Solbakken's team in command and leave them on the brink of qualifying.

Norway would have secured their passage had Italy failed to come out on top against Moldova. However, late goals from Gianluca Mancini and Francesco Pio Esposito meant that the Azzurri delayed what appears to be the inevitable.

Norway will travel to Italy for their final qualification game, with the hosts needing to win and produce a 17-goal swing in order to leapfrog the current Group I leaders.

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Cristiano Ronaldo sent off in Portugal's loss at Republic of Ireland in 2026 World Cup qualifying