WCQ: Ireland Coach Hallgrímsson Reveals Ronaldo’s ‘Silly’ Remark After Red Card in Portugal Defeat

Republic of Ireland coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson has revealed what ‘silly’ Cristiano Ronaldo told him after the Portugal captain received a red card during both sides’ FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifier tie on Thursday.

DAILY POST reports that a brace from Troy Parrott ensured Ireland defeated Portugal 2-0 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to keep their hopes of World Cup qualification alive.

Portugal’s hopes of a fightback against the hosts were dented after Ronaldo was sent off after 62 minutes.

The Al-Nassr forward threw an elbow at Ireland’s Dara O’Shea defender following a tussle between the players.

Ronaldo, who was initially given a yellow card, was seen mocking O’Shea with a crying gesture before referee Glenn Nyberg was instructed by VAR to review the decision.

His yellow was upgraded to a red, ruling him out of Portugal’s final qualifying match against Armenia on Sunday.

“He complimented me with putting pressure on the referee, but listen, it had nothing to do with me; it was his action on the pitch that cost him a red card,” Hallgrimsson said at his post-match interview after the game.

“It had nothing to do with me unless I got into his head. He said that to me walking way.

“He told me it was a clever thing to do. He blamed the referee or whoever for this, but it was his silly decision to attack our player.”