National Anthem Steals the Show, Red Card Paves the Way: Portugal 2 1 Chile, 41 year old Ronaldo's Last World Cup

Key Developments

As Chilean players were singing "puro Chile" mid-verse, the sound system at the Hammer National Stadium grew impatient — the Portuguese national anthem's prelude directly overpowered it, drowning out the Chilean anthem entirely. Two languages, two melodies, two destinies, made clear before the whistle by a technical glitch. Chile hadn't even qualified for the World Cup, while Portugal stood as a top contender, their anthem unable to contain itself, rushing to drown out their opponent's voice.

This isn't a joke. This actually happened on June 6, 2026, at Lisbon's Hammer National Stadium. Kickoff was at 7:45 PM local time, 6:45 PM in the UK, with Amazon Prime PPV opening a dedicated 2.99-pound pay-per-view window just for this warm-up. France's RMC Sport, Brazil's Record, and Spain's Mundo Deportivo all led with this match. The World Cup hadn't even started, but Portugal had already swept up all the media attention.

The scoreboard read 2-1. Portugal won by one. Winning by one was enough, but winning by one wasn't really enough.

This World Cup warm-up in Lisbon was the first of two tests for Portugal ahead of their trip to the United States. Coach Roberto Martínez benched four Paris Saint-Germain players — Vitinha, João Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Gonçalo Ramos — to give their Champions League-winning knees a rest. João Félix and Matheus Nunes were also rested for physical reasons. In other words, Portugal played this warm-up with half their starting lineup missing.

But that didn't mean Portugal was out for a stroll. The 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo wore his captain's armband for his 227th international appearance, with Rafa Leão and Francisco Conceição alongside him in attack. The midfield trio was Samú Costa, Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes. The defense, from left to right, featured Nélson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, and João Cancelo. José Sá was in goal.

For Chile, former Liverpool man Lawrence Vigouroux guarded the net. 2026 marked Chile's third consecutive World Cup absence, finishing bottom of the South American qualifiers, with their previous friendly ending in a 4-1 loss to New Zealand. They came to Lisbon not to win, but to "rebuild confidence." Historically, Chile held a 2-2 record against Portugal, including that 2017 Confederations Cup semifinal victory on penalties. But that Chile had Alexis Sánchez, Arturo Vidal, and a midfield capable of neutralizing Cristiano Ronaldo. The current Chile? "Rebuilding confidence" was already a polite way of saying they were there to make up the numbers.

This gulf in quality made the 0-0 halftime scoreline particularly glaring.

Portugal dominated possession, circling Chile's box, but each final pass carried a hint of carelessness. Ronaldo wasted chances, was caught offside, and was substituted at halftime. French media L'Équipe was polite — "he showed hunger" — but immediately followed with "excessively individualistic." This is the reality for a 41-year-old veteran: he still runs, but he no longer runs with the same assurance for his teammates. Bernardo Silva also played only one half before Martínez substituted him; Spanish media noted the coach "changed half the lineup" at halftime, treating the starting eleven like two sets of A/B test papers.

But what truly put this warm-up in the headlines wasn't Ronaldo's stamina or Bruno Fernandes's long shots.

It was the red card.

Near the end of the first half, Portugal's João Cancelo clashed with Chilean player Iván Román. They squared up, with teammates quickly forming a wall around them. Then came Leão — he shoved Román, grabbed him by the neck, and struck him in the face. Germany's Bild described it as an "assault." Referee Luca Zuffranieri wasted no time, pulling out two red cards, sending Leão and Román back to the dressing room one after the other, leaving each side a man down. Two teams playing World Cup warm-ups, committing Champions League knockout-stage red card fouls in a friendly.

That shove didn't just cost Leão his "character label" — it cost him what was nearly a locked-in spot on Martínez's roster. The suspension and fine implications of a red card in a warm-up depend entirely on FIFA and the disciplinary committee's judgment. But for a team set to debut on June 17, the possibility of "losing Leão" was more troubling than the 2-1 scoreline. French media specifically closed with "Leão could be in big trouble," leaving the warm-up's conclusion up in the air for post-match analysis.

Down a man in the second half, Portugal actually played better. In the 58th minute, Gonçalo Guedes found the narrowest of gaps on the right side of the box, firing a left-footed shot home. The angle was so tight it was like finding a crack between teeth, yet the ball somehow nestled into the back of the net. In the 75th minute, Bruno Fernandes curled a left-footed strike from just outside the box to make it 2-0. In the 91st minute of stoppage time, Chile's Lucas Cepeda scored a consolation goal.

2-1. Portugal got the result they wanted, but the process was full of things they didn't.

The anthem interruption, Ronaldo criticized, Leão sent off. One warm-up, three incidents, each capable of trending on its own.

What Followed

Four days later, on June 10, Portugal flew to Leiria for their second warm-up — against Nigeria.

Another 2-1.

But this match had a different feel.

Nigeria came to play. Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with an assist from Diogo Dalot, but Nigeria's Akor Adams equalized before halftime. In the second half, Portugal pushed hard, with João Félix benefiting from a VAR-confirmed controversial "ghost goal," and substitute Francisco Conceição sealed the deal in the 75th minute. Martínez rotated again — Cancelo and Bernardo Silva didn't even start, with Trincão coming in. Goalkeeper was Diogo Costa, with Nélson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, and Diogo Dalot forming the defense. The midfield was rebuilt around Vitinha, João Neves, and Bruno Fernandes, with Trincão, Pedro Neto, and Cristiano Ronaldo up front.

Two warm-ups, two 2-1 scores. Portugal's attack kept missing chances in different ways.

This wasn't just statistical anxiety — it was pre-World Cup form anxiety.

We can't just talk about Portugal. Chile was the other side of this mirror. Missing their third straight World Cup, bottom of South American qualifiers, a 4-1 friendly loss to New Zealand. Their core squad has aged, with newcomers still on the way. After the 2-1 loss, their World Cup story now only involves next year's qualifiers.

Two teams stood at opposite ends of the Hammer National Stadium: one racing toward Riviera Maya, the other stuck spinning in place. The metaphor of Portugal's anthem hijacking the moment was more precise than any commentary.

The story of Cristiano Ronaldo's generation of Portuguese players can't be summed up in a few words. But one fact is constantly chewed over by all fans — this team hasn't reached a World Cup semifinal in 20 years. Their top-of-the-group qualifying finish sent them to the United States, with Group K opponents — Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — posing no significant threat on paper. At 41, with his 227th appearance and his final World Cup, this script makes even the most hardened skeptics take a second look.

June 17 marks Portugal's World Cup debut, against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Winning is mandatory. Winning by how many is another question entirely.

And Leão's red card arrives precisely at the most inconvenient moment for Martínez. The yardsticks of FIFA's disciplinary committee, UEFA's standards, and Portugal's own internal judgment all measure the same red card, potentially yielding three different outcomes — a warning, a suspension extension, or simply crossing out a name on the tactical board for the opening match against Congo. Two days later against Nigeria, Leão wasn't even in the squad. That itself sends a clear signal.

A 41-year-old man, still starting for a team featuring Félix, Leão, Conceição, Vitinha, and Bruno Fernandes. This isn't "old soldiers never die" inspirational talk — it's "old soldiers never retire" reality. Portugal has enough talent to compete for their first World Cup title, but they also have enough X-factors — Ronaldo's stamina, Leão's temperament, Félix's consistency, and Martínez's ability to handle pressure in big moments. Any one of these could tear up the script in the knockout stages.

Two 2-1 results, one red card, one ghost goal, one anthem hijacked. Portugal's World Cup script is already full of foreshadowing from the very beginning.

The look on Ronaldo's face when substituted at halftime — no smile, no anger. He'd seen too many nights like this.

In 11 days, he'll stand on an American pitch.

And that hijacked Chilean anthem will undoubtedly be the least significant footnote in all the drama of this year's World Cup.