Portugal's Leão to miss final warm-up after red card

Portugal forward Rafael Leão is expected to miss his national team's final World Cup warm-up match after being sent off for violent conduct in a friendly against Chile on Saturday. The incident, which occurred just before halftime, has raised questions about his availability for the start of the tournament itself.

The altercation began following a clash between Portugal's João Cancelo and Chile's Felipe Faúndez. As players from both teams gathered, Leão became involved with Chilean defender Iván Román. Video footage and reports indicate Leão grabbed Román by the neck and struck him in the face. The referee showed straight red cards to both players, reducing each side to ten men for the remainder of the match.

Despite the dismissal, Portugal secured a 2-1 victory in the penultimate match of their pre-World Cup schedule. Second-half goals from Gonçalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes secured the win before Román scored a consolation goal for Chile in stoppage time.

Under FIFA's disciplinary code, a player sent off in a friendly match must serve a suspension in their next official match. Portugal's next fixture is another friendly, against Nigeria on Wednesday, June 10. Leão is therefore...