THE very public hissy fit which Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo threw on the hallowed Hampden turf after Belgian referee Lawrence Visser had blown the full-time whistle on Tuesday night gave Scotland fans further reason to cheer.
The Tartan Army were already in good spirits having seen the national team grind out a richly deserved 0-0 draw in the Nations League encounter with the eighth-placed side in the FIFA World Rankings.
But seeing CR7 storm off the pitch and up the tunnel without going over to applaud the travelling supporters just made the result all the sweeter. Watching the GOAT mouthing off about the visitors not being allowed to take an injury-time corner and flailing his arms wildly in disgust was comedy gold. Ye ragin’ Ron?
Videos of the monumental meltdown were taken from every conceivable angle by spectators in the stands and have since gone viral on social media websites. The 39-year-old, who squandered a raft of chances during the course of the 90 minutes and showed once again he is a shadow of the great player he once was, is the story even when he fails to perform it seems.
It is a shame his histrionics, as entertaining as they were, have overshadowed what was a highly impressive and hugely encouraging Scotland display to an extent.
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Steve Clarke was missing an entire team of players – Angus Gunn, Zander Clark, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson, Liam Cooper, Jack Hendry, Kieran Tierney, Scott McKenna, Greg Taylor, John McGinn, Stuart Armstrong, Lewis Ferguson, James Forrest and Lawrence Shankland were all unavailable – for the meeting with the Group A1 leaders.
Few fans held out much hope of the hosts avoiding their fifth consecutive defeat and the worst losing run in their entire history as they made their way to Mount Florida before kick-off.
Yes, they lived dangerously at times. Sure, they required a couple of exceptional saves from goalkeeper Craig Gordon and goal line blocks from John Souttar, Grant Hanley and Nicky Devlin to remain on level terms. But it was always inevitable they would need to endure long spells of intense pressure against such illustrious foes. They deserve enormous credit for withstanding the onslaught.
It would be remiss not to give Anthony Ralston a special mention. The right-back is still not featuring regularly for Celtic. Indeed, he has started just once for the Scottish champions in the 2024/25 campaign, in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against second tier Falkirk last month. But he was excellent and played his part in the clean sheet.
In midfield, too, Scotland shone. Moving to Napoli in Italy back in August has clearly been good for Billy Gilmour’s game. He threw himself into every 50-50 challenge in the middle of the park with scant regard for his own wellbeing and used the ball intelligently when he received it. He was more than a match for first Joao Palhinha and then Ruben Neves.
When Celtic captain Callum McGregor retired from international football back in August is left a huge void in the Scotland side to be filled. But Kenny McLean of Norwich City has more than done so. The former St Mirren and Aberdeen man has grown into the role in the last two double headers. In tandem with Gilmour, he protected centre-backs John Souttar and Grant Hanley.
McLean will, if fit, be one of the first names down on the team sheet when Clarke selects his side for the next Nations League fixture against Croatia at Hampden next month.
The only disappointing aspect of the showing was that Scotland, not for the first time this year, failed to convert their chances up front. Scott McTominay, Ben Doak, Ryan Christie and Che Adams all could have done far better when they got into good positions in the final third. That lack of ruthlessness in attack remains a major problem.
Still, it would be more of a concern if Clarke’s men were failing to create any opportunities in attack. Christie, McTominay, Adams, Lyndon Dykes, McGinn and Shankland have all shown they can net at international level in the past and they will do so again if they continue to receive such plentiful ammunition.
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As the game against Portugal neared its conclusion on Tuesday night, not least when Roberto Martinez pitched Leao, Neves and Silva into the fray with half an hour of regulation time remaining, you feared that Scotland’s lack of strength in depth may cost them. It seemed unlikely the hosts could continue to perform with such intensity until the death and entirely possible their stubborn resistance would be worn down.
But Clarke threw on Ryan Gauld, Lewis Morgan, Dykes and Nicky Devlin and the substitutes did their bit to secure the point. Gauld and Morgan have, despite taking some time to break through into the senior set-up, become invaluable members of the national squad. Devlin, who slid in bravely and put a Leao shot out for a corner in injury-time, looks as though he has much to offer his country going forward.
Making it through to Canada, Mexico and the United States will be tough. Clarke needs to get a few bodies back by the time March rolls around. There remains significant room for improvement, not least in front of goal. But, as we witnessed at Hampden on Tuesday night, this Scotland side is often at its very best when it is up against it.
Gordon has never featured in a major tournament before. Can the 41-year-old, who was equal to a Bruno Fernandes attempt at the death, do a Roger Milla and go to the World Cup in 2026? It would be foolish to write off the veteran Hearts goalkeeper’s prospects of being there. He has as much chance as Ronaldo on the evidence of the Portugal draw.
