A CRISTIANO Ronaldo strike with less than three minutes of regulation time remaining denied Scotland a gutsy draw against Portugal tonight which would have done much to restore pride in the national team after their Euro 2024 failure in the summer. The 39-year-old global football superstar turned in a Nuno Mendes cross from a few yards out in the Estadio da Luz to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory for his country in the Nations League match. Steve Clarke’s men, who had taken the lead early on through Scott McTominay and competed ferociously thereafter until allowing Bruno Fernandes to level in the second half, have now gone a full year without winning a competitive fixture.
However, their performance here is Lisbon gave their supporters, who were despondent after their early exit in Germany back in June, much to be optimistic about. They were applauded off the park by the Tartan Army at the end despite the reverse. Here are five talking points from another Scottish heartbreak.
Vast improvement Clarke stuck with the same starting line-up which had taken to the field in midweek against Poland at Hampden. Many fans had been eager to see Lawrence Shankland or even Tommy Conway given the nod up front, Ben Doak and Ryan Gauld given a chance to show what they could do in the final third from the start and Connor Barron handed his first cap in midfield. But you could understand the manager’s reluctance to experiment and desire to put his faith in his more experienced campaigners g.