Cristiano Ronaldo clear to start World Cup after Fifa suspends two games of his ban

• Portugal forward was sent off against Republic of Ireland

• He missed Armenia game so is free to play at tournament

Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in the opening matches of Portugal's World Cup campaign after he was handed a suspended sentence for his red card against the Republic of Ireland.

The Portugal forward, who was a guest of president Donald Trump in the White House last week, had a customary three-match ban for violent conduct commuted by Fifa's disciplinary committee on Tuesday to a one-game ban, with two further matches suspended under a year's probation. In effect Ronaldo has served his suspension, having sat out Portugal's final World Cup qualifying match against Armenia.