In a surprising turn of events, Republic of Ireland defeated Diogo Dalot‘s Portugal 2-0 in Dublin.
Troy Parrott scored both goals in the first half, while former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo received a yellow card that was later upgraded to a red after elbowing Dara O’Shea just past the hour mark. This marked the first time Ronaldo was sent off in his 226 appearances for his national team.
Dalot played the entire match at left-back, while Bruno Fernandes was sidelined due to suspension.
Fernandes will be back in action for the home game against Armenia on Sunday, where Portugal requires just a point to secure their qualification from Group F, although Ronaldo will be unavailable due to his ban.
Marcus Rashford, currently on loan at Barcelona, featured in England’s 2-0 victory over Serbia, substituting for Eberechi Eze, who netted the second goal late in the match after 65 minutes.
In the CONCACAF region, a matchup between two former Manchester United players ended in a 1-1 draw, with Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad & Tobago scoring a late equaliser against Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.
