- Portugal struggled to break down a stubborn Scotland side
- A frustrated Ronaldo stormed off at full-time on a night to forget
- Clarke’s side still on long winless run but managed to stop the rot
Scotland managed to hold a star-studded Portugal to a goalless draw at Hampden to pick up their first points in UEFA Nations League Group A1. But who impressed for Steve Clarke’s side and which big names were underwhelming for Roberto Martinez’s outfit?
Here, Calum McClurkin rates how both teams fared under the lights in Glasgow…
SCOTLAND (4-2-3-1). TEAM AVERAGE: 6.6
CRAIG GORDON: Clawed away a Mendes effort early on. Stunning stop at the death to deny Fernandes. 7.5.
ANTHONY RALSTON: Defended the back post well and broke forward occasionally. Looks to be finding confidence. 6.5.
JOHN SOUTTAR: Kept Ronaldo relatively quiet all night. Strong in the air and made a few key blocks. 8.
GRANT HANLEY: Like Souttar, made some vital blocks and defended the box well. Solid in every area. 7.5.
ANDY ROBERTSON: Made the odd mistake but he shut down threat of Cancelo and helped Doak defend stoutly. 6.5.
BILLY GILMOUR: Always willing to take the ball in difficult and tight areas. Just a shame he never saw more of it. 6.5.
Ronaldo endured a frustrating night at Hampden and was wasteful in front of goal
Bruno Fernandes tried his best to pick the lock for Portugal but was thwarted
John Souttar (left) was a rock at the back for Scotland and helped shut out Portugal
KENNY McLEAN: Terrific positional sense off the ball and helped to snuff out any danger in the final third. 7.
RYAN CHRISTIE: Tireless effort off the ball and defensively sound. Quality on the ball could have been better. 6.
SCOTT McTOMINAY: Missed golden early chance and not a lot came off for Scotland’s talisman. 5.5.
BEN DOAK: Opportunites for him to use his pace on the break were limited but stuck to his task really well. 6.
CHE ADAMS: Thankless task in lone striker role and struggled to get the Scots up the field. 5.5.
SUBS:
Lewis Morgan (Doak 67)
Ryan Gauld (Christie 68)
Lyndon Dykes (Adams 83)
Nicky Devlin (Ralston 89).
BOOKED: McTominay.
Ben Doak battled hard for Scotland but the teenager rarely had the chance to go forward
MANAGER – STEVE CLARKE: Winless run goes on but his side continue to fight hard and they deservedly got a draw to stop the rot in terms of defeats. 6.5
PORTUGAL (4-3-3). TEAM AVERAGE: 5.5
DIOGO COSTA: Had precious little to do. Porto goalkeeper held weak header from McTominay. 6.
JOAO CANCELO: Didn’t get forward as much as expected and maybe mindful of the pace of Doak in behind. 6.
RUBEN DIAS: Manchester City defender built things up from the back. Little to do in the way of defending. 6.
ANTONIO SILVA: Benfica central defender was good on the ball and rarely troubled defensively. 6.5.
NUNO MENDES: Took quite a few of the set-plays but did not make the most of them. Got forward regularly. 6.
BRUNO FERNANDES: Best of the midfield trio in pulling the strings for Portugal but not enough penetration. 6.
JOAO PALHINHA: Game largely passed him by. Booked and Little surprise he was hooked on the hour-mark. 5.
VITINHA: Diminutive midfielder tried to make things happen but was well-marshalled by Scotland. 5.5.
Steve Clarke salutes Craig Gordon at full-time after Scotland keep a clean sheet
FRANCISCO CONCEICAO: Blazed over from the edge of the box. Caused problems but final product was lacking. 5.5.
CRISTIANO RONALDO: Wasted three good openings. Stormed off the pitch in a rage at full-time. Further evidence that time is catching up with a superstar. 4.
DIOGO JOTA: Booked for bad tackle on the ankle of Christie and Liverpool man had a very quiet night. 4.5.
SUBS:
Rafael Leao (Jota 61)
Ruben Neves (Palhinha 61)
Bernardo Silva (Conceicao 61)
Nelson Semedo (Cancelo 88).
BOOKED: Dias, Jota, Palhinha, B Silva.
MANAGER – ROBERTO MARTINEZ: Petulance and sluggishness of Ronaldo is a big problem area for his team that seemed stuck in second gear throughout. 4.5
REFEREE: LAWRENCE VISSER (Bel): Perhaps a bit too fussy and blew the whistle for lots of soft fouls that affected the flow of the game. 5.