At the start of the penultimate match day in the World Cup preliminary round, Portugal faced an important match in Ireland. The Portuguese were second in Group A, one point less than Serbia, which had played one more match.
With another duel against Serbia on the final day of play, the Portuguese had better not miss a beat.
But Portugal had a hard time against the stiff Irish. Star player Cristiano Ronaldo also did not like the hole, although he was close to it after the break. Ultimately, the glasses score would remain on the board.
In the end Pepe ran into a disputable red card, after a second yellow card. A downer for Portugal, which will have to get the job done without the experienced defender against Serbia on Sunday.
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