Nations League: Heartbreak for Scotland again
Portugal 2 - 1 Scotland
Cristiano Ronaldo’s late winner shattered Scottish hopes in Portugal, continuing Steve Clarke’s team's miserable run of form.
Scotland stunned everyone by taking a surprise lead in the seventh minute with a header from Scott McTominay, and they defended resolutely against Portugal’s 16 shots before half-time.
However, another mistake cost them the lead. Angus Gunn failed to stop a long-range effort from Bruno Fernandes after the break, letting the ball slip into the net.
Ronaldo, who came on at half-time, struck the post twice before finally breaking through, tapping in a brilliant cross from Nuno Mendes for his 901st career goal.
The defeat, coming on the back of a loss to Poland on Thursday, means Scotland have now gone eight competitive games without a win—the worst run in their history—and have won just one of their last 14 matches.
Despite this, Clarke might find some hope in how his team performed in these recent games, even if they now sit bottom of their group after Croatia's 1-0 win over Poland.
Aside from McTominay’s powerful header, it felt like Scotland spent the entire first half defending in their own half.
Rafael Leao was a constant threat down the left, creating five excellent chances for himself or his teammates.
Gunn made two impressive saves—one from Leao and another from Liverpool's Diogo Jota—and saw several other shots narrowly miss the target.
Every Portuguese cheer made Scottish fans cringe, but the defence held firm until the break—battered and bruised but still standing.
That resilience lasted until Portugal’s first real chance in the second half. A poorly struck cutback from Fernandes was palmed into his own net by Gunn, adding to Scotland’s collection of recent errors.
Scotland fought back, with penalty appeals from Billy Gilmour and Ryan Christie both rightly dismissed, and McTominay firing a shot straight at Diogo Costa.
That was as good as it got for Scotland. Portugal, driven by Ronaldo, pressed on. A clever backheel from Ronaldo unlocked the Scottish defence, putting Joao Felix through on goal, but Gunn made a superb save.
Three minutes later, Felix almost scored again with a diving header, but Gunn was again on hand to deny him. Ronaldo hit the post again with a brilliant looping header.
Scotland didn’t heed the warning. Mendes’ tempting cross bypassed Jota at the near post, left Gunn stranded in the middle, and Ronaldo bundled the ball home—celebrating his 132nd goal for Portugal with the same joy as his first.
