Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Pirie

Cristiano Ronaldo branded a cheat as Portugal penalty leaves Chris Sutton bemused over VAR snub

Pundit Chris Sutton has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of "blatant cheating" to win Portugal a penalty in their World Cup win over Ghana.

Portugal were awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute when the former Manchester United forward was knocked over by defender Mohammed Salisu as he rushed to chase down a deep pass into the box. Ronaldo looked to have reached the ball first before tumbling to the ground under minimal contract, but referee Armando Villarreal was not called over to the monitor for a VAR review.

This allowed Ronaldo to step up the penalty spot and make history by netting at his fifth World Cup, which kickstarted a thrilling end to the second half which saw Fernando Santos' side narrowly come out on top in a 3-2 victory. Following the full-time whistle in Qatar there has been heavy criticism of the 37-year-old with former Celtic striker Sutton taking aim at Ronaldo on social media.

Sharing a clip of the incident to his Twitter, Sutton commented: "VAR should have intervened and Ronaldo should have been booked. This is cheating."

Ronaldo has been one of the main talking points going into Qatar 2022 after his controversial interview with Piers Morgan led to his Old Trafford contract being ripped up. The likes of Newcastle United and several sides in Saudi Arabia have been tipped with a move for the attacker.

Ghana's defender Mohammed Salisu fouls Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the area and a penalty is awarded (AFP via Getty Images)

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

READ NEXT

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.