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Rafael Leão Sent Off for Punching Iván Román in Portugal Friendly

Leão posted that he intervened to protect a teammate and did not intend to injure the Chilean defender.

Overview

  • A late first-half sequence began with a foul on João Cancelo and a confrontation with Faúndez, after which Iván Román pushed Cancelo and Rafael Leão struck Román.
  • The referee issued straight red cards to Leão and Román, leaving both teams with ten men at halftime in what was Portugal’s final warm-up before the World Cup.
  • Leão used his social media account to say he reacted to defend a teammate and that he never meant to hurt anyone.
  • Portugal completed the friendly with a 2–1 win thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Gonçalo Guedes, and the match closed the team’s pre-tournament preparation.
  • Iván Román, who plays for Atlético Mineiro, drew attention from the incident and coverage notes that no further disciplinary measures beyond the match expulsions were reported in the articles.