Ronaldo and Ireland manager face off after red cardpublished at 11:25 GMT 14 November
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Portugal
Karan Vinod
BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
In the aftermath of Ronaldo’s dismissal, the flashpoint wasn’t confined to the referee’s notebook. As he walked towards the tunnel, visibly furious, Ronaldo appeared to exchange words with Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson.
It all carried a notable echo of the pre-match press conference, where Hallgrimsson had spoken pointedly about Ronaldo’s long history of “controlling referees” and the need for officials not to “play along.”
Ronaldo, sat beside Roberto Martinez that day, had brushed off the remarks with a knowing smile, suggesting the Irish manager was trying to put the referees under “pressure.”
So when the red card came – a straight dismissal for the elbow incident – the tension that had been brewing for 24 hours finally spilt into something more personal. Ronaldo’s glance and a few sharp words were met with a wry, almost satisfied expression from the Irish bench, a silent confirmation that the narrative they had planted pre-match had now become the night’s defining storyline.
For Ireland, it will be framed as a tactical triumph, psychological or otherwise. For Ronaldo, it was another layer of frustration on a night that had already unravelled. The subplot may be minor in the grand scheme, but it added a bitter edge: a verbal back-and-forth that began in a press room and ended in the tunnel, punctuating a chaotic night for Portugal’s captain.
