Online Reporter
CRISTIANO RONALDO was sent off for an elbow as his Portugal side lost 2-0 against Ireland on Thursday night and blew another chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup football finals.
Troy Parrott struck twice in the first half to keep Ireland’s hopes of reaching next summer’s tournament alive with a famous victory against Ronaldo and his team-mates in a Group F qualifier. With Portugal chasing a way back into the game their frustrated captain Ronaldo was dismissed for elbowing Dara O’Shea in the back.
Portugal still lead the group on 10 points, two ahead of Hungary and three in front of Ireland, with one match remaining tomorrow.
The team that finishes top reaches the World Cup automatically.
Martinez’s side spurned one chance to qualify in October when they drew with Hungary and another went begging at the Aviva Stadium as Ireland recorded an unforgettable triumph.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side knew they had to avoid defeat to still have a chance of qualification after Hungary, sec-ond, beat Armenia 1-0 earlier on in Group F.
Ireland last reached the World Cup in 2002.
Portugal controlled the ball in the opening stages as Ireland sat back, content to keep the visitors at bay and cause trouble on the counter.
Parrott headed Ireland into a surprise lead after 17 minutes from close range when Liam Scales nodded the ball back across the face of goal from a corner.
Joao Neves fired narrowly wide and Joao Felix headed over as Portugal looked for an equaliser and turned up the pressure.
Chiedozie Ogbene came close at the other end as he got in behind and flashed a shot against the post in front of a fired-up home crowd.
Parrott doubled Ireland’s lead on the stroke of half-time, cutting in from the left and driving past goalkeeper Diogo Costa low at his near post.
Ireland were again forced to defend deep after the break but were helped by Ronaldo’s red card after an hour.
The 40-year-old striker showed his frustration by swinging an elbow into O’Shea’s back, and after a VAR review was dismissed.
It completed a disappointing pair of matches for Ronaldo against Ireland, after he missed a penalty when the sides met in Portugal in October.
Ronaldo, the men’s all-time top goalscorer in international football, could potentially miss the start of the World Cup if Portugal qualify, depending on the length of his ban.
England cruise
BUKAYO SAKA and Eberechi Eze maintained England’s flawless record on the road to the 2026 World Cup football finals but Jude Bellingham was reduced to a cameo role in Thursday night’s 2-0 win against Serbia.
Saka struck in the first-half at Wembley before his Arsenal team-mate Eze netted in the closing stages to ensure England, who had already qualified for the World Cup, made it seven successive Group K victories without conceding a goal.
After scoring 13 times in their previous three matches, this was a more prosaic England display, with Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Bellingham out of his starting line-up capturing most of the attention.
Tuchel opted to select Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers instead of Bellingham before sending on the Real Ma-drid star with 26 minutes left. Bellingham had missed England’s previous four matches, with a shoulder injury sidelining him in September before Tuchel left him out in October.
Rogers excelled in the number 10 role while deputising for Bellingham during England’s wins over Wales and Latvia in October.
And Tuchel this week warned Bellingham that he would have to fight for his place in the starting line-up at the World Cup.
There have been reports that Bellingham has sometimes been a polarising figure among the England squad and Tuchel was forced to apologise to the 22-year-old earlier this season after revealing his mother found the fiery star’s on-pitch behaviour “repulsive”.
After England travel to Albania for their last qualifier tomorrow, Tuchel has only two friendlies remaining in March before he has to name his World Cup squad.
The German’s handling of Bellingham will likely be the main topic from now until the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year. England’s 5-0 win in Serbia in September was the first sign that Tuchel was starting to stamp his mark on the team after a slow start to his reign.
England have been revitalised since that impressive victory, securing their World Cup berth by crushing Latvia in October.
Tuchel has now won eight of his nine matches, including seven World Cup qualifiers without conceding a single goal.
He bemoaned the “silent” atmosphere during England’s friendly win over Wales last month and once again the crowd were subdued in the hosts’ first game at Wembley since his criticism.
Haaland shine or Norway again
NORWAY have all but qualified for a first World Cup football finals in 28 years as doubles from Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth sealed a comfortable 4-1 win against Estonia on Thursday night.
A seventh win out of seven in qualifying has them sat top of Group I, three points ahead of Italy in second place and 17 goals better off.
Italy left it late to beat Moldova 2-0 later on Thursday to keep them mathematically in the hunt, although they are unlikely to overhaul Norway’s significantly better goal difference with one game remaining. — AFP.
