Watch: Portugal Captain Cristiano Ronaldo Gives His Jersey To Young Irish Fan During World Cup Qualifiers

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo won the heart of a tearful football fan from Ireland when he gave his shirt to the girl after the final whistle of a World Cup qualifying match in Dublin. After a tough 0-0 draw against the Republic of Ireland, Ronaldo didn't disappoint his young fan who ran onto the pitch to get a glimpse of her footballing hero. In a beautiful gesture, Ronaldo removed his Portuguese shirt gave it to her along with a hug before making his way back into the tunnel. The girl was in tears as she received the shirt and hugged Ronaldo repeatedly.

@Cristiano con un nino después del partido.
Cristiano le dio su camiseta a la chica fan de Irlanda después de tiempo completo. pic.twitter.com/w8ArtK6AyR

— Elia M. V. (@emariahn) November 11, 2021

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FT scenes on a great night at Lansdowne Road.#IRLPOR | #COYBIG | #WCQ pic.twitter.com/QmbIB9sEaD

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 11, 2021

The night, however, didn't go as planned for Portugal who had to settle for a draw against an inspired home team.

Pepe received a red card eight minutes from end of the second half which summed up Portugal's lacklustre outing in a crucial tie.

This was Pepe's 14th red card of his career which he received for elbowing Ireland's Callum Robinson.

Both teams went toe-to-toe in an exciting game played in front of a packed Aviva Stadium. Portugal enjoyed 51 per cent of the possession to Ireland's 49 and were also just one shot ahead of their rivals in the shots on target count.

After this draw, Portugal are positioned at the top of the group, just edging out second-placed Serbia on the basis of a superior goal difference.

Portugal will next face Serbia in the World Cup Qualifiers at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

Topics mentioned in this article

Portugal Republic of Ireland Cristiano Ronaldo Pepe Football