What drama!
After a bright Ireland start in Faro, it all kicked off in Faro. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gavin Bazunu were at the centre of it all.
The Manchester City goalkeeper, currently on loan at Portsmouth, put Jeff Hendrick in trouble with an under-hit pass. Bruno Fernandes pounced on that pass and, by the merest of fractions, got a touch ahead of Hendrick.
With the Ireland midfielder diving in with a desperate tackle, the referee awarded a penalty. Hendrick was yellow-carded as Irish players protested.
The Video Assistant Replay team advised the ref to check replays to confirm it was a spot-kick. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was in potential bother after swiping at Dara O’Shea.
The West Brom star had knocked the ball off the penalty spot, eliciting an angry reaction from Ronaldo.
Some were claiming the Portugal captain should have been sent off – including Ronnie Whelan on commentary duty for RTE – but it was a yellow at most.
As it all transpired, the penalty stood and Ronaldo avoided any caution.
It was a rough one for Ireland but Bazunu brilliantly saved the penalty from Ronaldo after diving to to right.
That class Bazunu save from Ronaldo 🇮🇪https://t.co/lz6XZ4pLuT
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) September 1, 2021
The save denied the newly-signed Manchester United star the world record for internationals goals [he started the game on 109].
It briefly looked as if there could be a re-take, but play eventually moved on and Ireland had a throw-in.
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