Perhaps unsurprisingly, Portugal manager Roberto Martínez had a different opinion on the incident and, after defending his captain, criticized Hallgrimsson for talking about the referee in the build-up.
“The red card is simply for a captain who had never been sent off before in 226 games – I think that deserves credit – and today I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team,” Martínez said.
“He spent 60 or 58 minutes in the area being grabbed, pulled, pushed and obviously when he tried to get away from the defender.
“I think the action looks worse than it really is, I don’t think it’s an elbow, I think it’s a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it.
“The only thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth is that in yesterday’s press conference, his coach was talking about the appearance of referees being influenced, and then a big center back falls to the ground in such a dramatic way in the turn of Cristiano’s body.”
