Why Cristiano Ronaldo should have been shown a second yellow card against Iran

The ball strikes Ronaldo's hand but the action goes unnoticed, and unpunished. [Photo/Courtesy]

Cristiano Ronaldo didn't have his greatest night against Iran on Monday .

The Portuguese superstar saw his second half penalty saved as his side were forced to settle for a draw in their final game of World Cup Group B, with Iran's Karim Ansarifard scoring an equaliser from the spot in the 93rd minute.

The 1-1 draw - combined with Spain's 2-2 draw against Morocco - means that the Portuguese go through to the last-16 in second place, ensuring that they'll face Group A table-toppers Uruguay.

But should Ronaldo be suspended for that game?

The 33-year-old had already escaped a red card when VAR reviewed an elbow he raised to Morteza Pouraliganji, with referee Enrique Caceres giving him a yellow instead, and then there was a largely unseen moment deep in stoppage time when Ronaldo somehow avoided a second yellow card.

As Iran tried to launch one last desperate attack, Ronaldo leapt up and clearly blocked the ball with his hand.

No Iran player reacted as they were clearly focusing on trying to get a winning goal, and Ronaldo somehow escaped getting his marching orders.

That means he'll be free to face Uruguay in Sochi on Saturday night, unfortunately for the South Americans.