LAST night saw Portugal record their biggest-ever win.
The club thumped Luxembourg during Monday's Euro 2024 qualifier – but as eagle-eyed fans may have spotted, one familiar face was missing from the pitch.
Why didn't Cristiano Ronaldo play last night?
Al-Nassr ace Cristiano Ronaldo's return to the Portuguese national team was briefly interrupted as he received a suspension, ruling him out of Portugal's Euro 2024 qualifier against Luxembourg last night.
The footballer was suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards in earlier games – including one picked up during Portugal's 1-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday, September 8, 2023.
The veteran forward was fortunate to escape a red card for a subsequent lunge on goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
The striker lunged in on his former Manchester United team-mate – and got nowhere near the ball.
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He appeared to catch Dubravka's torso with one foot, before seemingly making contact with the goalkeeper's face with the other.
The Al-Nassr ace looked sheepish, seeming to realise his mistake.
He made a show of owning up, before placing his hand on Dubravka's face and trying to apologise.
Ronaldo was then shown a yellow card for his challenge, rather than red.
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Despite the absence of the sports star last night, Goncalo Ramos, Goncalo Inacio, and Diogo Jota all scored twice along with goals for Ricardo Horta, Bruno Fernandes, who was hailed ‘’best in the world’’ by fans, and Joao Felix – with the win proving to be a historic fixture for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Friday’s clash marked the first international match that Ronaldo had missed since a 4-0 victory against Nigeria in November 2022.
According to reports, he will be available for selection in Portugal’s next round of EURO qualifiers, starting against Slovakia in October 2023.
Ronaldo is also set to be back in action for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, September 16, 2023, against Al-Raed.
In December 2022, Al Nassr reached an agreement for Ronaldo to join the club – which came into effect on January 1, 2023, with the footballer signing a contract until 2025.
The Portugal star joined Al-Nassr after seeing his contract at Manchester United terminated.
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