Portuguese media react to Scotland heartbreak amid Steve Clarke 'outrage' and latest Cristiano Ronaldo victim
It was more national team dejection for Scotland - and the Portuguese media have spared no sympathy
Scotland were the recipients of more late heartbreak on Sunday night as they lost 2-1 to Portugal on Nations League business.
A few nights on from a late gut punch in defeat to Poland and after travel chaos that had the national team arrive late into Portugal, Scott McTominay fires Steve Clarke’s men ahead.
The performance was spirited but Bruno Fernades eventually restored parity in the second half. Then just as the 90th minute mark was looming, Cristiano Ronaldo got free to prod home the winner, leaving Scotland pointless after two Nations League games in the A League section, already facing a fight to survive.
Here’s how the Portuguese media reacted to a night of high drama in Lisbon.
A Bola
“The Scottish coach was outraged the day before by the journey he had to make from Beja to Lisbon, where he arrived two hours late, as night had already fallen in the capital. The players wanted to make up for such an inconvenience and decided that there would be no delays this Sunday.
“And so it was: against all expectations, Scotland shocked the Luz after just 7 minutes, thanks to a header from the team's star, Scott McTominay , Bruno Fernandes' teammate at Man. United. It was clear at that moment that the Portuguese defence was a bit short (in height) compared to the scorer.
“Portugal reacted immediately with successive waves of attack, largely due to the thinking of Bruno Fernandes and the speed and incursions on the left of Rafael Leão . However, the Portuguese haste insisted on being the enemy of perfection and, one after the other, good intentions were bumping into the Scottish wall.
“Scotland only created danger from set pieces, always led by Liverpool captain and full-back Andy Robertson , and which always had the ability to rouse the approximately three thousand Scottish fans, whose voices, at such moments, were louder than those of the Portuguese. By using force and, at times, pushing their opponents too hard, the visitors began to get on the nerves of the Portuguese internationals.
“The long-range shot was the solution. There was no other. And it was with Cristiano Ronaldo and Rúben Neves on the field that, at 53', the great specialist in the art of long-range shooting decided to offer a work to the public, he who was also celebrating his 30th birthday and reaching the round number of games (600) in football: Bruno Fernandes , of course! With a pass (there it is) from Rafael Leão . The score was 1-1, with... the 18th Portuguese shot!”
“Here the question arose: if Scotland had been late the day before, on the day it was the National Team that appeared to have arrived too late for the game. Until the usual suspect, Cristiano Ronaldo , shouted "enough!" and from close range scored his 901st career goal, the winning goal for Portugal , with the captain showing that he is still the great decider (without him on the pitch, 0-1 at half-time; with him, 2-1 in the final). Facts.”
Record
“Scott McTominay appears completely alone at the far post following a cross from the left and doesn't even have to jump to head the ball into the back of the net. Scotland start the game with a win. Bruno Fernandes scores and the match is level. On his 30th birthday and the 600th game of his career, the midfielder treated the crowd to a shot from outside the box that Gunn was unable to stop. The score is 1-1.
“It's from the usual man: Cristiano Ronaldo! After a perfect cross from Nuno Mendes, the captain tapped in for the second. The comeback is complete.”
O Jogo
“Portugal beat Scotland 2-1 with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo after trailing and are now top of Group A1 of the Nations League after the second round. At the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, substitute Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal for Portugal in the 88th minute, after Bruno Fernandes had, in the 54th minute, tied a match in which Scotland had scored first, through Scott McTominay, in the seventh minute.
“With this triumph, the second in a row, Portugal stood out in first place in Group A1 of the 2024/25 edition of the Nations League, with six points, three more than Croatia and Poland - who today faced each other on Croatian soil and the hosts won 1-0 -, while the Scottish team remains without a point.”
Correio de Manha
“Captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored for the first time against Scotland this Sunday, in Portugal's 2-1 victory in the Nations League, and increased the number of 'victims' in service to 48 for the national team.
“At the Estádio do Luz, in Lisbon, Ronaldo scored in the 88th minute, giving the victory to the 'quinas' team, and reached 132 international goals, adding another country he has scored for to his already long list. To close out the United Kingdom, all that's left is for Ronaldo, currently 39 years old, to 'cash in' against England, one of the few teams he has never managed to score against.”