Brawl and simultaneous send-offs mar World Cup friendly... Portugal survives tense 2-1 victory over Chile amid 'Ronaldo silence'

*This content was translated by AI.

A bizarre match featuring a brawl and a simultaneous send-off occurred in a friendly ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The match in question was a showdown between Portugal (FIFA ranking 5th) and Chile (54th) held on the 7th (Korean time) at Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, Portugal.

It was also a friendly where Portugal, which belongs to Group K in the upcoming World Cup finals alongside Colombia, invited Chile, which failed to qualify for the South American World Cup qualifiers, to play at home.

The clash began in the 45th minute of the first half, when the score was tied 0-0, involving João Cancelo of Portugal (FC Barcelona) and Felipe Ponce of Chile (O'Higgins) in a challenge on the left flank.

Shortly after Ponce kicked the ball to the side, the two players became entangled. Ponce, while on the ground, appeared to kick at Cancelo, who was standing over him, showing an irritable reaction. Cancelo immediately responded in kind.

Chile defender Ivan Roman (Atlético MG) then joined in, aggressively protesting against Cancelo. This prompted Portugal forward Rafael Leão (AC Milan) to push Roman with both hands, escalating the situation.

Leão struck Roman multiple times in the neck area, and Roman retaliated, leading to a physical fight. The brawl, which involved other players, was calmed down by teammates within about a minute.

The referee issued red cards directly to Leão and Roman, who were directly involved in the clash. Coincidentally, neither Ponce nor Cancelo, who were involved in the initial collision, received any cards; instead, only the two players who joined the brawl after the first collision were sent off.

It is rare for a brawl to occur in a standard A-match friendly, let alone one resulting in a send-off, especially in a pre-World Cup friendly. Unlike Chile, Portugal viewed this match as a precious opportunity ahead of the World Cup, so the variable of a simultaneous send-off was unwelcome.

In the second half, played as a 10-vs-10 match due to the simultaneous send-offs, Portugal emerged victorious. Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad) scored the opening goal in the 13th minute of the second half, followed by an additional goal from Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) in the 30th minute.

Chile managed a consolation goal by Lucas Cepeda (Elche) in stoppage time of the second half, but could not level the score. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) did not record an attacking point, played only the first half, and finished the match.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.