Portugal could be without winger Rafael Leão for Wednesday’s friendly against Nigeria after the AC Milan star was sent off during Saturday’s pre-World Cup clash with Chile.
Leão received his marching orders moments before halftime after an altercation with Chilean defender Iván Román, whom he was adjudged to have struck in the face.
Despite playing the remainder of the match with 10 men, Portugal still emerged victorious, securing a 2-1 win through second-half strikes from Gonçalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes. Román grabbed a late consolation goal for Chile in added time.
The Portuguese forward had been restored to the starting lineup after recently missing a number of AC Milan games due to suspension and decisions taken by coach Massimiliano Allegri.
With a standard one-match ban likely to follow his dismissal, Leão is expected to miss Portugal’s final preparatory game against the Super Eagles. There is also a possibility that the suspension could affect some of Portugal’s World Cup group-stage fixtures, including matches against DR Congo and Uzbekistan.
The meeting with Nigeria at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria will round off Portugal’s World Cup preparations. Roberto Martínez’s side have already recorded victories over co-hosts the United States and Chile in their earlier warm-up outings.
Nigeria, meanwhile, will use the game to conclude another international window under head coach Eric Chelle. The Super Eagles played out a 2-2 draw with Poland in Warsaw last week after previously defeating Zimbabwe and Jamaica to successfully retain the Unity Cup in London.
The last encounter between both nations came ahead of the 2022 World Cup, when Portugal handed Nigeria a 4-0 defeat.
Having failed to secure qualification once again, the Super Eagles will miss a second successive World Cup, the first time the country has experienced such a setback since making its tournament debut in 1994.
