Detained By Scotland Without Goals, Portugal One Step Again To Quarter Finals

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League match against Scotland which ended in a draw. (X/@EURO2024)

JAKARTA - Portugal is one step closer to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League even though they were only able to draw 0-0 against Scotland in the Group 1 League A match at the Hampden Park Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, Wednesday, October 16, 2024 in the morning WIB.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score. Only he remains the star of the game who gets a welcome but there are also those who ridiculed him in the match against Scotland.

In the previous match, Ronaldo contributed a goal when he gave Portugal a 3-1 win over Poland. However, this Al Nassr mainstay player failed to add to his collection of goals in the national team match which had reached 134 when Portugal faced Scotland's decisive game.

Yes, Scotland showed the real character in that match. Scott McTominay et al played with the spirit of never giving up and insisted on getting points. As a result, Scotland won points for the first time in the group stage match.

However, Scotland remains at the bottom of the standings. The reason is they always lost the previous three matches.

Meanwhile, Portugal, who pocketed 10 points, became stronger at the top of the standings. They are three points ahead with Croatia who are in second place after drawing 3-3 against Poland.

Portugal, who have never lost, is just one step away from qualifying for the quarter-finals. Roberto Martinez's side have put at least one leg in the knockout round and only need a draw to qualify.

In a duel at Hampden Park, Portugal had difficulty facing Scotland who tried to show their best performance. Even the hosts were able to put pressure on and almost broke into the Diogo Costa goal in the early minutes of the match.

The header of McTominay who welcomed the cross was secured by Costa. This is Scotland's best chance which unfortunately failed to be used by the former Manchester Unted midfielder and is now Napoli's mainstay. Furthermore, Costa also saved the goal from Ryan Christie's threat.

Despite being hot late, Portugal finally managed to get out of the pressure. But their attack always ran aground against Steve Clarke's strong defense. However, Portugal's possession reached 67%.

Portugal had a chance through Nuno Mendes' free kick in the 25th minute. It's just that his effort was thwarted by goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

There is no chance from Portugal that can be converted into a goal. The goalless draw lasted until halftime.

In the second half, Portugal did not lower the tempo of the game. They had a good chance in the early minutes of the match. Including opportunities through Ronaldo.

It's just that the actions of the 39-year-old players diving to steal the ball still failed. The reason is, the ball bounced over the crossbar.

Furthermore, Portugal continued to exert pressure. Ronaldo again had a chance in the 82nd minute. However, the former MU and Real Madrid star still failed to do so.

Likewise, the chances of Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao also failed to produce results. The 0-0 score lasted until the game was over.