Republic of Ireland 2-0 Portugal: Roberto Martinez delivers verdict on historic Cristiano Ronaldo red

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has branded the red card that Cristiano Ronaldo was handed in Thursday's 2026 World Cup qualifier with Republic of Ireland "a bit harsh".

Ronaldo was initially given a yellow card for an elbow on Dara O'Shea, but following a VAR review, it was upgraded to a red, with the 40-year-old sent off for the first time in his international career.

The Al-Nassr striker will definitely be suspended for Sunday's qualification fixture with Armenia, while he could miss the start of the 2026 World Cup, should Portugal qualify.

Martinez was quizzed on the incident following the clash with Republic of Ireland.

“I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team,” Martinez told reporters. “He was almost 60 minutes in the box being grabbed, pulled, pushed, and obviously he tries to get away from the defender.

“I think the action looks worse than what it actually is. I don’t think it’s an elbow, I think it’s a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it.”

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Martinez brands Ronaldo red card "a bit harsh"

Troy Parrott scored twice for Republic of Ireland to secure a 2-0 success for the hosts, and Portugal must now beat Armenia to be sure of automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament.

“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.

“The strength of the stadium that Ireland had is what we need, and we know we can count on it in the last qualifying game to confirm our presence at the World Cup.”

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Will Portugal qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

Portugal remain in a healthy position in Group F, picking up 10 points from their five matches, which has left them two points ahead of second-placed Turkey and three clear of third-placed Republic of Ireland.

A win for Portugal over Armenia on Sunday would secure top spot and automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but a defeat could see them drop down to second.