Before Portugal’s World Cup qualifying defeat by the Republic of Ireland, Cristiano Ronaldo said he would “try to be a good boy” to keep Irish fans off his back.
In the heat of battle, however, Ronaldo ensured he joined Thierry Henry one of Irish football’s great pantomime villains.
With Portugal trailing 2-0 to Troy Parrott’s first-half double, Ronaldo clashed with Dara O’Shea in the Irish penalty area.
Jostling for position as he awaited a cross, the 40-year-old shunted his elbow into O’Shea’s back, sparking a strong reaction from the Irish players and fans.
Referee Glenn Nyberg spotted the incident and showed Ronaldo a yellow card, but having been urged to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor by the video assistant referee, the Swedish official came back with a red.
Ronaldo, who had endured a frustrating night up to that point, thought better of quietly accepting his punishment and proceeded to sarcastically applaud the Irish fans and exchange words with Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson before exiting the stage.
Maybe I got in Ronaldo’s head – Hallgrimsson
It was an eventful end to an unexpected yet intriguing spat between Ronaldo and Hallgrimsson.
In his eve-of-match news conference, Ronaldo accused the Republic of Ireland boss of mind games after the Icelander urged the referee not to be influenced by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Hallgrimsson said that, in Portugal’s win over the Republic of Ireland in October, Ronaldo – who had a penalty saved in that game – was “controlling the referee”.
“He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee,” said Hallgrimsson when asked about their touchline exchange.
“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.”
Asked if he spoke to Ronaldo after the game, 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.”