A spirited Scotland performance at Hampden Park saw Steve Clarke’s side pick up their first Nations League point of the campaign as they held Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a 0-0 draw at Hampden Park.
Despite Portugal enjoying the lion’s share of possession, it will perhaps the home side that will leave the Group A1 clash most disappointed after Scott McTominay uncharacteristically failed to convert two golden chances in either half that would have secured an unlikely three points.
Head coach Clarke opted to make just one change from the 2-1 defeat to Croatia, with Che Adams replacing Lyndon Dykes upfront. For Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo led the line, earning his 216th cap in the process.
The pre-match talk had been dominated by the Portuguese superstar’s arrival at Hampden Park, but the headlines were almost stolen by McTominay after just five minutes when his header from Andy Robertson’s sublime cross was palmed away at close range.
The visitors would soon assert their dominance though, with Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes both seeing shots well saved by Craig Gordon in the Scotland goal. The home side would then Ryan Christie pull a fine save out of Diogo Costa as the Bournemouth man worked a fine volley from a corner.
Ronaldo would go close again in the second-half, pinging a header over the crossbar, while Ben Doak’s slack pass allowed Francisco Conceição to fire just over from the edge of the area. Despite constant Portugal pressure, it was McTominay who would again be presented with a wonderful chance, but he couldn’t quite stretch to place home Anthony Ralston’s cross after some smart interplay between Ryan Gauld and Lewis Morgan.
In the end though, neither side were able to break the deadlock as Scotland took a deserved point against the Euro 2024 quarter-finalists.
1. GK: Craig Gordon - 7
Made a good save from Nuno Mendes' first-half free-kick, but his kicking left a lot to be desired and invited pressure onto the Scotland back line too often during the first 45. However, his late save from Bruno Fernandes safeguarded a point for Scotland. | SNS Group
2. RB: Anthony Ralston - 7
Much improved from Ralston, who many have called to be replaced in recent games. Got forward well and linked with Ryan Christie when he could. Held his own against Nuno Mendes for the bulk of the game and made a excellent intercepting tackle in the area during the first 45. | SNS Group
3. CB: Grant Hanley - 9
Kept Ronaldo and Portugal quiet throughout, winning the bulk of his battles. Kept his passes simple from the back simple and was real rock for his team. A great response to his last performance at Hampden against Poland. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
4. CB: John Souttar - 9
Like his defensive team-mate, Souttar won the majority of his headers and kept Portugal at bay despite constant pressure from their star-studded frontline. Has performed well over the break against two extremely tough opponents following his return to the starting XI. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group