Catch all the action of Scotland vs Portugal in the UEFA Nations League, where Cristiano Ronaldo was even at 0-0. Beating Scotland’s hard-nosed rearguard, and learn from key performances from Grant Hanley as they get their maiden points in the contest.

There was an interesting game of SCO vs POR, as it is known, in the UEFA Nations League played at Hampden Park Stadium that ended 0-0. Yet, it becomes apparent that Portugal, playing as favourite, had to break a tight Scottish defense led by Cristiano Ronaldo and his peers. That marked a historic day in the continuity period of the UEFA Nations League.

Game Summary

The game turned to be very important to Scotland, as it was a part of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, the first game in which the team was supposed to get its first points. For Portugal, the match started off quite well, after three consecutive wins, but this time they were going to face a much stronger opposing force coming from the Scottish team.

Possession and Chances

Portugal had long periods in the game as they were very much in control of possession since kickoff. Scotland, though was pretty decent at the back, restricting clear chances to their opponents. Their star man and goalkeeper, Craig Gordon, was good in making some crucial saves, especially within the final minutes of the game. The home team had made several shooting opportunities with Scott McTominay and Ryan Christie, who couldn’t go to waste at the hands of Portugal’s back line.

Ronaldo’s Wrath

The prolific scorer, Ronaldo, had his quiet night, unheard of as he is used to having more chances than one knows what to do with and wasting them profligately. At one memorable moment, he was unmarked in the box and threw away a golden opportunity by lofting the ball over the bar. Diogo Jota had another close-range shot go through when he forced Gordon to see it through, but he never had enough in terms of accuracy to finish the shot in the back of the net. As the match continued, Ronaldo and Francisco Conceicao continued making chances but the game went to the clock as Portugal could not find the goal that leveled things up.

Tactical Analysis

Under Steve Clarke, Scotland setup well tactically against the attacking Portuguese. The defense, more so Grant Hanley, had been outstanding up in the air and in interceptive positions as well. These traits had really helped the team hold out for a clean sheet against a very potent Portuguese attack.

Scoreline and Details

Although Scotland carry on their winning streak by taking a triumph in the last 16, it isn’t all doom and gloom going back to Clarke and his lads; here is still a small flicker of hope given in this display. They showed tenacity and grit, resilience the team needs during the rest of the tournament. Following their recent loss to Croatia, Clarke admitted Scotland were “on the right path,” and this draw against Portugal sets a benchmark regarding the performance of the team in the competition.

Man of the Match

The player that featured most and won the Player of the Match was Grant Hanley. That association with John Souttar proved very crucial in denying most of Portugal’s attacks going into his goal mouth and really was very important in securing the scoreline. Overall performance was inspirational enough for individual praise but also collectively lifted the spirits of the whole team.

Player Ratings

Both the teams featured a mixed bag, but Scotland’s players were good enough with very acceptable marks for the performances.

SCOTLAND:

Craig Gordon: 7

Tony Ralston: 6

John Souttar: 7

Grant Hanley: 7

Andy Robertson: 7

Ryan Christie: 7

Billy Gilmour: 6

Scott McTominay: 7

Kenny McLean: 7

Josh Doak: 6

Che Adams: 6

Subs:

Lewis Morgan: 6

Ryan Gauld: 7

Lyndon Dykes: n/a

Scott Devlin: n/a

PORTUGAL:

Diogo Costa: 6

Joao Cancelo: 6

Ruben Dias: 6

Antonio Silva: 6

Nuno Mendes: 7

Vitinha: 6

Palhinha: 6

– Bruno Fernandes: 6

– Francisco Conceicao: 5

– Cristiano Ronaldo: 6

– Diogo Jota: 6

Subs:

  – Bernardo Silva: 6

  – Rafael Leao: 6

  – Ruben Neves: 6

  – Nelson Semedo: n/a

  – Joao Felix: n/a