Parrott’s heroics stun Portugal
WQ — Ronaldo was the villain, ex-Tottenham striker Troy Parrott was Ireland’s hero, heading home from close range after 17 minutes and then beating keeper Diogo Costa at his near post on the stroke of half-time to seal a victory which ranks alongside previous famous wins over the Netherlands, then world champions Germany and Italy.
However, his contribution was only made possible by the green wall Ireland built to prevent Ronaldo and his team-mates from repeating their 1-0 win in Lisbon last month.
The AZ Alkmaar forward told RTE: “It’s the best night I’ve ever had in my whole life, I have no words to describe it.”
Ireland would have been out of contention for second place in the group had they lost after Hungary’s earlier 1-0 win in Armenia, and they still need to beat Hungary in Budapest on Sunday if they are to remain alive in the campaign.
Meanwhile, Portugal knew a win would have been good enough to secure their place at next summer’s tournament, but the defeat means that the Nations League holders will now have to beat Armenia on Sunday to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup.
Ireland were already in the driving seat when Ronaldo’s 59th-minute rush of blood effectively ended their chances, his swinging arm prompting VAR official Pol van Boekel to send Nyberg to the pitchside monitor before he upgraded the yellow card he had initially awarded to red.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez said: “The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games – I think that just deserves credit – and today, I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team.
“He was 60 minutes or 58 minutes in the box being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed and obviously when he tries to get away from the defender…
The 40-year-old was dismissed in the second half for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea with his side already trailing 2-0 at the Aviva Stadium, a day after Hallgrimsson had urged Swedish match official Glenn Nyberg not to allow him to referee the game.
Ronaldo will serve a minimum one-game suspension, meaning he will definitely miss Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia on Sunday, but the nature of the dismissal could trigger a three-game ban, according to FIFA rules.
Ronaldo spoke to Icelander Hallgrimsson pointedly as he made his way off the pitch. Asked afterwards what he had said, Hallgrimsson revealed: “He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee.
“It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It had nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head.”
