Scotland remain without a win but the losing streak is over and there was the sight of another victory against Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo applauded sarcastically as he stormed through the tunnel at the end of this goalless draw at Hampden. Ronaldo’s frustration at being denied by a goalkeeper older than him, in 41-year-old Craig Gordon, spilled over when Portugal were denied the chance to take a corner in stoppage time, with referee Lawrence Visser blowing his whistle while Bernando Silva and Bruno Fernandes ran to the byline. Since Ronaldo had been in Visser’s ear all night, the Belgian had probably suffered enough and wanted it to be over.
So there were finally cheers for Steve Clarke and his beleaguered side, even if many came at the expense of Ronaldo, the pantomime villain who thundered off the pitch in a tantrum without shaking hands or clapping for the Portuguese supporters in the corner. In many ways that was mission accomplished for the hosts, who held on to lead five games in a row for the first time. Gordon was immense between the posts, as were Grant Hanley and John Souttar who earned a clean sheet with brave displays in central defence. Even debutant Nicky Devlin, a late replacement, played his role with a brilliant block on Rafael Leao.
The irony for Scotland, however, is that the country was poor for a long time, much worse than in the previous Nations League defeats to Poland, Portugal and Croatia. Clarke’s side were wasteful in possession as they looked to play through the middle third and aimless in their attempts to hit long towards an isolated Che Adams. There was little evidence of a plan or idea to lift the gloom. It remains only one win in sixteen for the national team. Relegation from the top of the Nations League still beckons.
The respite may have been that Portugal was also shockingly bad, but in a very different way. Rather than a severe lack of options facing Clarke amid Scotland’s injury crisis, it almost feels like Roberto Maritnez has too many attacking talents to choose from. Martinez also refuses to turn away from Ronaldo who is at the center of his attack. Ronaldo had scored in three consecutive games for Portugal since the shambles that were his performances at the 2024 Euros. It didn’t look like he was going to score here, but he stayed on until the end, beaming and pointing at full-time with his thumbs up towards the stands.
It’s no surprise that Ronaldo was at the center of the action. But this was a scrappy match with little quality, best summed up when Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes botched a Portugal free-kick 30 yards from goal, simultaneously putting each other short. The 39-year-old’s theatrical plea to referee Visser was accompanied by pantomime cheers from the Tartan Army, as he miscontrolled a diagonal pass and the ball slipped under his studs, or he missed with an effort on goal, of which there were several .
Ronaldo also offered a glimpse of the spectacle with a sudden leap into the air and an attempt at an acrobatic bicycle kick, which landed wide and the referee awarded a free kick the other way for dangerous play. It was such an evening for Portugal, who dominated without taking the lead. Scotland were indebted to their own veteran, Gordon, for saving a Mendes free-kick from the corner on its way to the top corner. Ronaldo, meanwhile, continued to shoot, firing low early on at Gordon on his left and sliding one over the crossbar on his right shortly before half-time.
However, it was Scotland who produced the best chance of the first half. Clarke couldn’t have dreamed of a better combination than Andy Robertson’s clipped cross, which picked out an unmarked Scott McTominay six yards from goal. The big surprise came when McTominay headed straight at Diego Costa. Then Scotland pulled away and invited possession, either by conceding possession or through cheap free-kicks – McTominay gave a rather rash clearance and picked up a yellow card for a lunge on his former Manchester United team-mate Fernandes.
The opener for Portugal seemed inevitable as Scotland continued to give away possession. An unmarked Ronaldo headed a golden opportunity over the crossbar after Robertson lost possession this time as he emerged from halfway. Then Ben Doak was caught and Francisco Conceicao curled over from a one-two with Ronaldo. Impetus came from the visitors through the introduction of Leao, who created Portugal’s best chance when he faced Fernandes. However, Gordon reacted smartly on the line and smothered the rebound to deny Ronaldo.
Scotland did not bother Costa in the second half, but there were chances. McTominay’s touch and drive suddenly had Portugal turning, but Ryan Christie could not find Robertson or Doak, both in the space to his left. A knockdown from Adams fell to McTominay, who was unable to make a contract. Scotland broke clear late on through Anthony Ralston, but he could not pass the cross through to McTominay, who stormed clear with him. In the end a point was justified, not one Ronaldo would agree with.
