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scotland Left without a win but the losing streak ended and another victory was seen. portugalAs Cristiano Ronaldo sarcastically applauded and finally entered the tunnel It was a goalless draw at HampdenRonaldo, 41, was disappointed after being rejected by an older goalkeeper craig gordonThe spill was then prevented when Portugal were prevented from taking an injury-time corner, with referee Lawrence Visser blowing his full-time whistle as Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes jogged to the byline. Since Ronaldo was in Visser’s ear all night, the Belgian had probably had enough and wanted to get it over with.
So finally there were cheers steve clark And his troubled sideEven though many came at the expense of Ronaldo, the pantomime villain who angrily walked off the pitch without waving or applauding the Portugal supporters in the corner. In many ways, it was mission accomplished for the hosts, who held on and avoided losing five consecutive games for the first time. Gordon was huge between the posts, with Grant Hanley and John Souter earning their clean sheets with brave displays in central defence. Even late replacement debutant Nicky Devlin played his part with a superb block on Rafael Leao. “He got us talking from that block,” Clark said with a smile.
However, the irony for Scotland is that they were in a poor position for a long period of time, finishing worse than in their previous Nations League Losses to Poland, Portugal and CroatiaClarke’s team were wasteful in possession trying to play through the central third and aimless in their attempts to hit long shots towards the isolated Che Adams. While their resilience and defensive organization in denying one of the world’s top sides was admirable, especially given the circumstances, there was little evidence of any planning or thought to overcome the disappointment. This is now only one win out of 16 for the national team. Relegation from the top tier of the Nations League still beckons.
Perhaps, the sad thing was that Portugal was surprisingly bad, in a very different way. Instead of Clarke facing a severe lack of options amid Scotland’s injury crisis, it almost feels like roberto martinez There is a lot of offensive talent to choose from. Martínez also refused to be distracted by Ronaldo being at the heart of his attack. It turns out that despite Ronaldo scoring in three consecutive international matches and netting a remarkable 133rd in the win over Poland on Saturday, Portugal have learned no lessons. From the dilemma of Euro 2024Where Ronaldo was sacrificed a shot at the trophy by giving him priority above all else.
Martínez is guilty and his attitude towards the Portugal star player is made clear by his reaction to that full-time tantrum. “I had no idea,” Martínez replied, even as his captain passed him, huffing and puffing down the tunnel, glaring and pointing toward the stands with his thumbs up. Ronaldo is untouched in this team of Portugal. He stayed till the end, even though he was not in sight of scoring. Neither did Portugal. Afterwards, Bernardo Silva said that “something was missing” from his performance. “I agree,” said Martínez. “We lacked accuracy in the final third.”
It’s no surprise that Ronaldo was at the center of the action in his 200th international appearance. But it was a disappointing contest in terms of quality, which was best summed up when Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes spoiled Portugal’s free kicks 30 yards from goal and simultaneously fired it at each other. Took it closer. The 39-year-old’s dramatic appeal to referee Visser was accompanied by pantomime boos from the Tartan Army, which turned into jeers as he miscontrolled a diagonal pass and the ball slipped under his studs, or he would have missed the goal. Attempts were missed, of which there were many.
Ronaldo also gave a glimpse of the spectacular spectacle by leaping into the air and attempting an acrobatic bicycle kick, but it went wide and the referee awarded a free-kick the other way for dangerous play. It was shaping up to be that kind of evening for Portugal, who maintained their dominance without giving up the lead. Scotland were indebted to their own experienced Gordon for saving a Mendes free-kick from an angle bound for the top corner. Meanwhile, Ronaldo continued shooting, initially firing low past Gordon from his left side and firing a volley over the bar from his right side shortly before half-time.
However, it was Scotland who created the best chances of the first half. Clarke couldn’t have dreamed up a better combination than Andy Robertson’s clipped cross that picked out an unmarked Scott McTominay Six yards from goal. The biggest surprise came when McTominay headed straight for Diogo Costa. After that, Scotland retreated, either by conceding possession or inviting possession by a cheap free-kick – McTominay given a rash card and a yellow for attacking his former Manchester United teammate Fernandes. Picked up the card.
Portugal’s opener looked inevitable as Scotland continued to gift possession. An unmarked Ronaldo fired a golden chance over the bar, with Robertson losing possession this time when he headed wide from halfway. Ben Doak was then caught and Francisco Conceição went on to have a one-two with Ronaldo. The visitors were fired up by the introduction of Leao, who set up Portugal’s best chance to beat Fernandes. However, Gordon reacted smartly on the line and buried the rebound to deny Ronaldo.
In the second half, Scotland did not trouble Costa but got chances. McTominay’s touch and drive suddenly turned Portugal around but Ryan Christie was unable to find Robertson or Doc, both in space to his left. A knockdown from Adams lands McTominay, who cannot make contact. Scotland took a late lead through Anthony Ralston, but he could not deliver a cross to McTominay, who broke through. In the end, one thing was fair, not that Ronaldo would agree.