Ejection, anger, and a nervous kick... Consisao adds to Jesus's troubles in the Portugal national team
Francisco Conceicao added to the woes of Portugal national team manager Jorge Jesus after being sent off in the final minutes of the match against Norway, which ended in a 2-1 Portuguese victory on Sunday in the UEFA Nations League, as the fallout from the Cristiano Ronaldo crisis continues to cast a shadow over the squad.
Conceicao received two consecutive yellow cards in the 86th minute after appealing for a penalty. According to the Portuguese newspaper Record, the first card was shown after he objected to the referee not awarding a penalty and delayed leaving the pitch during his substitution. The Italian referee, Maurizio Mariani, then brandished the second card after Conceicao gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up gesture.
The incident did not end with the sending-off. Footage showed Conceicao’s intense anger as he exited the field, prompting several Portuguese teammates to grab him and escort him toward the tunnel. On his way to the locker room, he kicked a ball near the touchline.
The clip preceding the dismissal sparked debate over officiating. Pedro Henriquez, a refereeing expert for the newspaper A Bola, argued that Portugal deserved a penalty in the incident where Conceicao called for a foul, considering the non-award and the failure of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to intervene as the most significant refereeing error of the match. However, he stressed that this did not justify the player’s behavior that led to his dismissal.
Reuters confirmed that Portugal finished the match with ten men after Conceicao’s red card, before holding on for a 2-1 lead to secure their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
Conceicao’s sending-off adds a new burden for Jesus in the upcoming stages, amid ongoing controversy surrounding Ronaldo’s future with the national team after he left the training camp. The manager and the Portuguese Football Federation have left the door open for the captain’s return.
Portugal had overturned an early deficit to beat Norway 2-1. Christopher Airo opened the scoring for the visitors, before Joao Cancelo equalized, and Goncalo Ramos scored the winning goal in the 79th minute, securing Portugal’s spot in the tournament’s quarter-finals.
