"Troy Parrott scored twice for the hosts before half-time, then Ronaldo was shown the first card of his international career in the second half in Dublin. A win would have secured Portugal's spot at next summer's World Cup, but they can still book their place in the tournament with a win over Armenia on Sunday. Martinez, who has now lost a World Cup qualifying match for the first time, insisted his side must quickly move on from their defeat."
""It's a game to forget. It happens in football," Martinez told RTP. "Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And it went well for Ireland. We talk a lot about the set-piece, the transition, the corner goal. "We lacked purpose. We showed fight until the end with 10 men, we played the last minutes with a lot of heart, but Ireland deserved to win."
"Ronaldo was sent off in the 61st minute after he appeared to elbow Dara O'Shea following a pitch-side VAR review. The suspension could also affect Ronaldo's participation in the 2026 World Cup. He will definitely miss Sunday's clash with Armenia, while any further punishment issued by a disciplinary committee would take effect from the start of next year's tournament. However, Martinez believes there was no malicious intent behind the forward's action."
Portugal were beaten 2-0 by the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium after Troy Parrott scored twice before half-time and Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the second half. The defeat denied Portugal immediate World Cup qualification, but a win over Armenia would still secure their place. Ronaldo received a red card in the 61st minute following a pitch-side VAR review for an apparent elbow on Dara O'Shea and will miss the next qualifying match; further disciplinary measures could affect the 2026 World Cup. Martinez described the match as "a game to forget," said the team showed fight with 10 men but lacked purpose, and affirmed the need for the stadium's strength in the final qualifier.
Read at Soccer News
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