Cristiano Ronaldo applauded Irish fans and had a heated exchange with Heimir Hallgrimsson after being sent off in Portugal's 2-0 defeat on Thursday, which the Republic of Ireland manager believes may be because he "got in his head."
Ronaldo's dismissal -- for striking an elbow into defender Dara O'Shea -- came after Hallgrimsson warned the referee about the forward's impact in his prematch news conference.
Speaking after the clash, Hallgrimsson revealed that Ronaldo had heard those comments.
"He complimented me for putting pressure on the referee," Hallgrimsson said of their touchline exchange.
"It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It had nothing to do with me, unless I got into his head."
Hallgrimsson added that he didn't speak to Ronaldo after the game as "there was nothing to speak about."
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"This was just a moment of a little silliness from him, I would say," he said.
Ronaldo is now at risk of missing Portugal's first group game at next summer's World Cup, should Portugal beat Armenia in their final group game.
Ireland are third in Group F and can theoretically still book their place at the 2026 World Cup as they trail leaders Portugal by three points heading into their final game when they face Hungary on Tuesday.