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By Seyi Babalola
Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez, has responded to captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card against the Republic of Ireland.
Ronaldo was sent off as Ireland beat Portugal 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Dublin on Thursday night.
The 40-year-old forward threw an elbow at Ireland defender Dara O’Shea during a scuffle between the two.
Ronaldo was initially given a yellow card, before referee Glenn Nyberg was instructed by VAR to review the decision.
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Ronaldo’s yellow was upgraded to a red, ruling him out of Portugal’s final qualifying match against Armenia on Sunday.
Speaking on the development, Martinez attempted to defend Ronaldo, insisting the Al-Nassr star had tried to ‘push’ O’Shea away because the defenders were grabbing him.
“It’s difficult for a player like Cristiano to be in the penalty area,” Martinez said at his post-match interview after the game.
“He had constant contact with the defenders, who were grabbing him. There was no violence — he tried to push them away.
“He was unlucky. I think the angle of the images makes it worse than it actually happened. It’s his first red card for the national team, it’s incredible.”
