Ronaldo entered the game tied with Iran’s Ali Daei with 109 international goals. However, his historic night almost didn’t happen.
As Ronaldo set up to take a penalty that would have given him the international goal-scoring record, cameras caught him slapping Dara O’Shea.
According to FA rules, any player guilty of “violent conduct” warrants a sending off. While Ronaldo’s slap might not seem violent to the casual observer, it wouldn’t be the first time a player received a red card for a reactionary slap.
Anthony Martial of Manchester United, after being elbowed in the face by Erik Lamela of Tottenham, retaliated with a light slap and was shown a red card for “violent conduct” after video review. Fortunately for Ronaldo, the referee was oblivious, unmoved, or knew that history was on the doorstep.