muller pepe
Thomas Muller and Pepe had an altercation in the first half. Reuters

Things went from bad to worse for Portugal in their first game of the 2014 World Cup against Group G favorite Germany on Monday in Salvador.

Trailing by two goals in the 37th minute, central defender Pepe tangled with German attacking midfielder Thomas Muller. Pepe seemed to take exception to how Muller reacted to a poke to the neck, and confronted the Bayern Munich star. While Muller was seated on the turf, Pepe appeared to headbutt Muller.

Muller immediately confronted Pepe, as the referee quickly rushed to the scene to issue a straight red on Pepe.

Based on FIFA rules, Pepe will be ruled out of the Portugal-U.S. game on June 22 in Manaus. A regular starter for Real Madrid, Pepe has a history of poor on-field behavior. In a match against Barcelona, the 31-year-old intentionally stepped on Lionel Messi's hand.

Muller, who earlier scored for a Germany off a penalty kick, would score Germany's third goal against 10-man Portugal before the end of the first half.

Pepe ( Red Card ) Ridiculous Foul on Thomas...by JustHD

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