Cristiano Ronaldo red card ‘unlucky’, claims Martinez… as Portugal boss says elbow vs Ireland was not ‘violence’
Cristiano Ronaldo saw red in Ireland vs Portugal
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has said Cristiano Ronaldo’s dismissal for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea was undeserved.
With his team 2-0 behind in 2026 World Cup qualifying in Dublin, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo saw red in the 61st minute after referee Glenn Nyberg consulted the pitchside monitor following a Video Assistant Referee review on the incident inside Ireland’s box.
“We talked,” Martinez told RTP, via Record. “It’s difficult for a player like Cristiano… he had constant contact, with the defenders grabbing him.
“There’s no violence – he tries to push them away. He was unlucky. The angle of the images makes it worse than what actually happened.
“It’s his first red card for the national team. It’s incredible.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo red card
Captain Ronaldo received his first international red card on his 226th Selecao appearance. “What I told him was ‘we’re preparing for the next game, you’ve won many with the national team,'” said Martinez.
“What happened is what happens in football. The reaction was good: we fought, we showed courage. Now it’s time to prepare for the next one.”
Ronaldo appeared to be infuriated while the check took place before exchanging words with home boss Heimir Hallgrimsson as he slowly made his way off.
Portugal are guaranteed a place at the finals in the US, Canada and Mexico next year if they win at home on Sunday to Armenia, who have lost four of their five qualifiers in the campaign.
Ronaldo and Joao Felix each scored twice alongside a goal by Joao Felix when Portugal won 5-0 in Armenia on September 6.
Ireland vs Portugal ‘a game to forget’
Troy Parrott scored twice in the first half to ensure Portugal’s qualification bid will go to their final game at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao.
“It happens in football,” said Martinez. “It’s a game to forget. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
“It went well for Ireland. We talked about set-pieces, transitions… we lacked purpose [but] we fought until the end.
“The last 20 minutes were full of heart. We have to accept that Ireland deserved to win. Now we look to Sunday.
“We need the strength of the stadium. We know we can count on that. We look to the last game to confirm qualification.”
Martinez added that he had replaced Joao Cancelo with Nelson Semedo because the contest was an “emotional game”.
“Cancelo had a yellow card,” he explained. “It was to eliminate the risk of losing him. We can use what the game needs.”
Republic of Ireland starting lineup vs Portugal
Burnley captain Josh Cullen missed Ireland’s 1-0 home win over Armenia on October 14 through suspension but the midfielder returned this time.
Jayson Molumby was banned and Mark Sykes, Jason Knight, Will Smallbone, Evan Ferguson and Robbie Brady were injured.
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved a Ronaldo penalty when Ireland lost 1-0 in Portugal on October 11.
Republic of Ireland starting XI: Caoimhin Kelleher, Seamus Coleman, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Jake O’Brien, Liam Scales, Finn Azaz, Jack Taylor, Josh Cullen, Chiedozie Ogbene, Troy Parrott
Ireland substitutes: Gavin Bazunu, Johnny Kenny, Adam Idah, Jimmy Dunne, Kevin O’Toole, Andrew Moran, John Egan, Conor Coventry, Jamie McGrath, Mikey Johnston, Festy Ebosele, Mark Travers
Troy Parrott's goal that has given us the lead!
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 13, 2025
🇮🇪 1-0 🇵🇹
pic.twitter.com/1iAsTE9fSt
Portugal starting lineup vs Ireland
Chelsea’s Pedro Neto and Sporting Lisbon’s Pedro Goncalves have withdrawn from the Portugal squad but Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves returned from injury.
Portugal starting XI: Diogo Costa, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Goncalo Inacio, Diogo Dalot, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix
Portugal substitutes: Rui Silva, Nelson Semedo, Antonio Silva, Joao Palhinha, Carlos Forbs, Goncalo Ramos, Joao Carvalho, Renato Veiga, Trincao, Rafael Leao, Matheus Nunes, Francisco Conceicao
Portugal World Cup 2026 qualifying path
The top team from each of the 12 European Qualifier groups proceeds automatically to the finals, which will be expanded to 48 teams.
The 12 runners-up in each group will join four Nations League teams in the play-offs, which will be drawn from pots based on teams’ records during the campaign. The games will comprise single-leg semi-finals and finals.
The draw for the World Cup finals will take place in December 2025. The tournament runs from June 11 until July 19 2026.