Scotland’s dreadful run of form continued as evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo stepped off the bench to grab a late Nations League winner for Portugal at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
Steve Clarke’s injury-ravaged side were were desperately looking to get back to winning ways in the Portuguese capital on the back of just one win in 13 games, but they faced a formidable task against the nation ranked 8th in the world and fresh from reaching the quarter-final of this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament.
Roberto Martinez’s Group A1 favourites were also aiming to maintain an impressive home record, having recorded 20 wins from their last 24 games in all competitions. And Clarke was left breathing a sigh of relief pre-match upon learning that star man Cristiano Ronaldo - who reached a significant milestone by scoring the 900th goal of his illustrious career in Thursday’s 2-1 win over Croatia - had been benched by the hosts.
The Scots had never won on their travels to Portugal in seven previous attempts and were returning to the scene of their fateful 1993 humbling when Andy Roxburgh’s side were thrashed 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier. On this occasion, they rode their luck but were able to walk away with their heads held high despite suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat.
The visitors surprisingly broke the deadlock after just seven minutes when Kenny McLean’s excellent first-time delivery from the left was headed into the far corner by Napoli new boy Scott McTominay - taking his tally to 10 goals in 17 competitive appearances for Scotland.
However, that shock opener appeared to spook the Scots somewhat as they quickly retreated and invited wave after wave of Portuguese attack with the main danger coming from Rafael Leao down the right-hand side.
For all of the home side’s possession and shots on goal (16 in total) during the first half, a combination of solid defending, poor finishing and strong goalkeeping from Angus Gunn ensured a potential shock was on the cards.
That ultimately proved short-lived as Portugal summoned Ronaldo from the bench for the start of the second half - the 39-year-old making his first appearance against Scotland across his 21-year international career.
And their pressure eventually told after 54 minutes with another individual error proving the Scots downfall once again. Gunn allowed Bruno Fernandes’ curling long-range shot to creep into the net and it was all one-way traffic from there on.
Ronaldo twice struck the post before finally forcing the ball over the line in the 88th minute after latching onto to Nuno Mendes’ cross for his 901st career goal and number 132 for his country.
Following the last-gasp defeat to Poland on Thursday, this latest setback means Scotland are without a competitive win in a full calendar year. Just one in their last 14 games certainly makes for grim reading.
Here is how the Edinburgh Evening News rated the players.
9. John McGinn - 5/10
Driving run down the left flank to win an early corner. But didn't pose much of an attacking threat. Spent more time on the back foot defending and wasn't his influential self. Subbed. | SNS Group
10. Ryan Christie - 8/10
A tireless shift. Booked for a cynical foul on Mendes in the first-half. Doubled up well to help out Ralston. Worked extremely hard, carrying out his defensive duties whilst maintaining a threat in the final third. Can be delighted with his display. Subbed. | SNS Group
11. Lyndon Dykes - 6/10
On the receiving end of a few fouls but was facing a thankless task. Held the ball up pretty well when the it did reach him but never got a clear sighting at goal. Subbed. | Getty Images
12. Ryan Gauld (SUB) - 3/10
Back in familiar territory after spending a large chunk of his career in Portugal, the attacker replaced the injured McLean. Unable to impact proceedings. | SNS Group