"Although Ronaldo was handed a three-game ban for his red card in World Cup qualifying game after he elbowed a Republic of Ireland opponent, the Al Nassr star has already served the mandatory one-game ban. He sat out when Portugal played their final qualifying game last week -- a 9-1 win over Armenia that sealed their place at the World Cup beginning in June in the United States, Mexico and Canada."
"FIFA published a disciplinary verdict last week that imposed the three-game ban, which judged Ronaldo's action as "violent conduct" or "serious foul play," but the ban for those remaining games is deferred for a one-year probation period. After a disappointing end to the year, with four draws and losses to Colombia (4-0) and Paraguay (2-1), Mexico manager Javier Aguirre is looking to test his team against two top contenders before the World Cup."
Mexico will host sixth-ranked Portugal at the renovated Azteca Stadium on March 28, followed by a friendly against Belgium at Soldier Field in Chicago on March 31. Ronaldo received a three-game ban for an elbowing incident but has already served the mandatory one-game suspension and the remaining ban was deferred under a one-year probation. Portugal sealed World Cup qualification with a 9-1 win over Armenia while Ronaldo sat out that match. Mexico manager Javier Aguirre seeks strong tuneups after a poor year-end run; Mexico have never beaten Portugal in six meetings and were eliminated in the 2022 group stage. Mexico will open World Cup Group A at Azteca on June 11, play June 18 in Guadalajara, and finish June 24 at Azteca.
Read at ESPN.com
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