Cristiano Ronaldo red card: Portugal captain sent off against Republic of Ireland – was it the right decision?

It was an eventful end to an unexpected but interesting tiff between Ronaldo and Hallgrimsson.

Ronaldo previously had good memories of Dublin. Sixteen years ago, he played his first match for Real Madrid – a friendly match against Shamrock Rovers – at the Aviva Stadium.

In his press conference on the eve of the match, Ronaldo said it was “nice” to be back.

However, he also accused the Republic of Ireland president of mind games after the Icelander urged the referee not to be influenced by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Hallgrimsson said that during Portugal’s victory over the Republic of Ireland last October, Ronaldo – who missed a penalty kick in that match – was “controlling the referee.”

Hallgrimsson said when asked about the exchange of the ball between the two sides: “He praised me for putting pressure on the referee.”

“It was his behavior on the pitch that cost him the red card. It has nothing to do with me, unless I get into his head.”

Asked if he spoke with Ronaldo after the match, Hallgrimsson added: “No, I think we spoke enough when he came out.

“There was nothing to talk about. I would say it was just a moment of silliness from him.”