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    Breaking: Portugal star sent off in pre-World Cup friendly against Chile as brawl breaks out between players

    Portugal forward Rafael Leao and Chile defender Ivan Roman were both sent off before half-time during a friendly match on Saturday. Roberto Martinez’s men hosted the South American outfit as part of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

    The teams were inseparable at the break. However, the big talking point of the first half happened just moments before the interval. Joao Cancelo faced the heat from Roman after his fierce attempt to win the ball off another Chile player.

    After Roman pushed and shoved Cancelo, Leao rushed in on the scene and took the fight to the Chile defender. The AC Milan star was seen shoving Roman, who then went down theatrically to irk other Portugal players. Several players crowded the area and had to be separated before the referee made his decision.

    After thinking his decision through, the referee dished out red cards to both Leao and Roman. At the time of writing, the two teams are still locked at 0-0 after going down to 10 men.


    Cristiano Ronaldo goal for Portugal ruled out due to offside

    Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the starting line-up for the clash against Chile. He led the line for the hosts and saw his early header fly over the crossbar after a corner from Bruno Fernandes.

    Fernandes would turn provider with an excellent pass later, but Ronaldo was rightly adjudged offside. The Portugal hero raced in on goal and found the back of the net, however, replays suggested that he had made his run a bit early, which clearly caught him offside.

    Portugal are hoping to get up to speed before the start of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. After the game against Chile, they will play another friendly warm-up game with Nigeria before boarding the plane to the United States.

    Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping he can finally lift the World Cup trophy with his team this summer. The star forward is playing in his sixth and possibly last ever World Cup.

    Roberto Martinez and his men will face DR Congo in their opening game of the 2026 World Cup on June 17. Their other games in Group K will be against Uzbekistan (June 23) and Colombia (June 27).