Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo caught slapping Ireland defender before missing penalty – WATCH

Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly slapped Ireland defender Dara O'Shea during last night's Portugal vs Ireland World Cup Qualifier match.

File image (Source: Twitter)

Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo was in the spotlight yet again as he scored his 110th international goal to surpass Iran legend Ali Daie's tally as he broke the all-time men's scoring record in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday (local time).

However, Ronaldo not only made headlines for his record but also for losing his cool during the match as the star striker was surprisingly seen slapping the Irish defender Dara O’Shea before he could take the penalty kick.

The incident took place in the 15th minute of the match after Portugal was awarded a penalty for a foul on Bruno Fernandes inside the box. Meanwhile, Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty but lost his temper when West Brom defender O’Shea knocked the ball off the penalty spot after which the Manchester United forward retaliated by slapping O'Shea in the face.

The 22-year-old went down to the ground holding his face, but Ronaldo escaped any punishment.

Here’s the video of the incident:

No pic.twitter.com/mLz3LoFXPl — Darren Cleary (@RadioCleary) September 1, 2021

Notably, Ronaldo missed the penalty in the first half of the game but he then netted a goal in the dying minutes of the match to save the game and then fired another in the stoppage time as Portugal defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-1.

With this goal, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now scored 111 international goals and is now leading the charts.

Former footballer Daei scored 109 international goals during his 13-year long illustrious career. Ronaldo had earlier equalled the Iran legend's record during Euro 2020.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is expected to play the first match of his second spell at Manchester United against Newcastle United next Saturday (September 11).