Petulant Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo was left in a Hampden strop as Steve Clarke’s brave Scots battled to a much-needed Nations League point. And the boss admits even he got a bit carried away with one moment of celebration.
The legendary hitman stormed down the tunnel in a furious huff after referee Lawrence Visser blew for time up just as Roberto Martinez’s side thought they’d won a corner deep into stoppage time. But that call left the Scots to celebrate a deserved 0-0 draw that will do wonders for their battered belief.
Clarke’s side came into the game having won just one of their previous 15 games. They faced setting a new national team record of five straight defeats if they lost to Ronaldo and co. But the stubborn Scots refused to buckle and clung on to put their first point on their Nations League board. And a proud Clarke praised his men as he said: “Obviously, the point was important for us.
“The work we’ve put into the group to get off the mark is nice. So, yeah, it’s good. Nations League is off and running. Defensively we were sound. The shape to the team was good.
“There were some really good blocks, which you have to do against a team like Portugal. When you need a couple of big saves, your goalkeeper need to chip in as as well. Everybody contributed to what is a well-earned point. Everybody keeps talking about their confidence, but their confidence was fine because they know they can play well.
“Maybe with the ball tonight, we didn’t play quite as well as we normally do. I think a lot of the missed passes were probably down a little bit to fatigue. But I don’t think they lack confidence. Obviously, tonight’s point against one of the top European sides is going to give us even more confidence going into the November games. We go to those games, determined to get more points on the board.”
Scotland are still looking for their first victory since beating minnows Gibraltar ahead of the Euros. But Clarke said: “I don’t think so much about turning a corner, I just think about working hard every time we come together to try and get points and be successful as a nation.
“That’s what the boys want to do every time they come here, work ever so hard to not let their country down. We saw that tonight.”
Scott McTominay had a chance to continue his remarkable scoring run early doors but wasted a golden opportunity. But it was at the other end that the Scots had to maintain their focus.
Man of the match John Souttar barely put a foot wrong up against 39-year-old Ronaldo. Craig Gordon is two years old but proved he’s just as sprightly with a string of key stops. And Aberdeen’s 30-year-old Nicky Devlin made a debut contribution as he climbed off the bench to make a point-saving block against AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
“That was fantastic,” said Clarke. “First cap for Nicky. A moment to remember. He was brave. I had no doubt he was putting Nicky into the game.
“He’s trained really well. He’s fitted into the group. He’s got a good experience. He’s 30 years of age and he’s still got the games under his belt. I knew when Tony Ralston was ready to come off that Nicky would be fine, and he was.
“When Portugal did create the big, big chance, Craig made the save, which is the first time in a long time I’ve celebrated a goalkeeper’s save. I was trying to talk to John Carver and actually celebrated it. So it meant a lot to me and it meant a lot to everybody in the stadium because that’s what gets you the point.
“We spoke before the game about doing all the dirty stuff, the hard work, the ugly stuff if you like and the boys did that fantastically.”
Gordon’s cap career looked to be over after he was left out of the Euros squad. But the Hearts No1 has refused to give up on Scotland and Clark has nothing but respect for the veteran shot-stopper.
He said: “What I’ve always said about Craig, he’s an ultimate professional. He’s determined to play as long as he can and you see that tonight with his performance. Still performing at a very high level for his club and now for his country. I’m delighted to have him back in the squad.”