Scotland Men's Football Team

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez compliments Scotland's togetherness following the 0-0 draw between the sides in the Nations League.

Scotland delivered a resolute defensive display to hold Portugal to a goalless draw and secure the first point of their Nations League A campaign.

The Scots passed up a glorious chance in the opening minutes through Scott McTominay and were then starved of possession as the visitors searched for an opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo was frustrated in his attempts to register a 134th goal in Portugal colours on his 200th international start as home goalkeeper Craig Gordon and his defence held firm.

The draw means Steve Clarke's side have now won just one of their past 16 matches, but they avoided the unwanted history of becoming the first Scotland team to lose five straight matches.

What did you make of that performance? - let us know your thoughts here, external.

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: "The point was important for us after the work the group put in to get off the mark.

"Defensively sound. The shape of the team was good. We denied a lot of space in behind. Good concentration in the box, determined defending at times, some really good blocks, which you need against sides like Portugal. Everyone contributed to earn the point.

"Everyone keeps talking about confidence, but they know they can play well. We maybe didn't play as well as we could on the ball, which could be down to fatigue. But I don't think they lack confidence. Tonight's point will give us more confidence.

"Fantastic. First cap for Nicky. A moment to remember. He got us a point with that block. I had no doubt putting Nicky into the game. He's trained well and fitted right into the group. I knew when Tony Ralston was ready to come off that Nicky would be fine - and he was.

"Ben Doak was good for such a young man. To be asked to go again. It was a decision I weighed up in my mind, to maybe keep him for 30 minutes at the end. He did so well on Saturday that I thought it was better to start him.

"The players dug in and ground out a really good point for us. The fans can be nervous when the opposition have so much possession. But when they did create a big chance, Craig Gordon was there to save it. It's the first time in a long time I have celebrated a save."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Hampden

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Despite losing all three previous games in the group – single-goal defeats at home to Poland and away to Portugal and Croatia – there was enough in those performances to offer hope that the Scots could at least compete with the Portuguese superstars on their own patch.

It wasn’t always pretty, but for 90 minutes, competitive is exactly what they were. They created a couple of early openings – the Scott McTominay chance the most glaring of them – and coped admirably with the speed and movement of the Portuguese front-line.

As the game wore on they saw less and less of the ball, though, the back-line dropped deeper and deeper, and Che Adams up front, selected ahead of Lyndon Dykes, was left battling for scraps or challenging for balls in the air against the comparatively imposing figures of Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva and Joao Cancelo.

As a defensive unit the Scots were organised and resolute and limited their illustrious opponents to very few clear-cut chances. The problem once again was their inability to offer a significant attacking threat.

Ben Doak had few opportunities to make an impression on the game on his second international start, and McTominay looked yet again the most likely to provide a goal. With that early headed chance, he should have.

Steve Clarke and his team simply had to stop the bleeding of recent defeats and this point, against one of Europe’s top sides, gives them something tangible for their considerable efforts in this first block of games.

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Billy Gilmour put in potentially his most complete performance in a Scotland jersey.

The mature midfielder was safe in possession, composed under extreme pressure and consistently won battles in key areas of the pitch throughout the full 90.

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Scotland: Gordon, Ralston, Hanley, Souttar, Robertson, Gilmour, McLean, Doak, McTominay, Christie, Adams.

Substitutes: McCracken, McCrorie, Barron, Dykes, MacKenzie, Irving, Porteous, Lindsay, Morgan, Nisbet, Gauld, Devlin.

Portugal: Costa, Cancelo, Dias, A Silva, Mendes, Fernandes, Palhinha, Vitinha, Jota, Ronaldo, Conceicao.

Substitutes: Velho, R Silva, Semedo, Dalot, Trincao, B Silva, Felix, Veiga, J Neves, Otavio, Leao, R Neves.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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"Be ugly, even if Portugal are beautiful".

That's easy for the former silky Scotland winger, Pat Nevin to say.

But, that is the message from Nevin as Scotland prepare to welcome Cristiano Ronaldo and co to Hampden this evening.

Nevin, who won 28 Scotland caps and scored five international goals, feels it would be "something special" if Steve Clarke were able to end a wretched run against a star-studded Portugal side in their Nations League A fixture.

"There's an understanding and acceptance among Scottish football fans that when you see real quality, as long as they're not diving about and throwing themselves to the ground, it's accepted, it's applauded and it's admired," Nevin told BBC Scotland.

"There are a hell of a lot of players to admire in this Portugal team, particularly from middle to front. Scotland fans, go along, get behind the team and you just never know, be ugly to play against even if they're being beautiful."

Despite the national side failing to win a competitive match in over a year, Nevin reckons the players still have a belief that they're making progress as they try to build towards next year's World Cup qualifying campaign.

"I don't think the players are a problem, I honestly don't, I don't think Clarke's a problem," Nevin said.

"I think keeping the fans on board is hard, but they've been generally pretty good. You can see that the vast majority of fans kind of get it. Some fans don't want it and are saying "get somebody else in," but the vast majority of the Tartan Army seem to understand that if you've qualified for two out of the last three major tournaments, the stock's there; it's fine.

"Clarke's been given a little bit of time. The problem he's got is if this keeps on going. If one or two hidings start appearing again, as we saw against Germany and in the friendly against France.

"You don't want that to keep on happening, something has to slightly change. It would be nice if it changed against Portugal."

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Sitting back and soaking up, that was the script against Portugal in Lisbon.

You get the sense it may be the same at Hampden tonight.

But like many of the Tartan Army, The Athletic's Jordan Campbell is urging Scotland to be a bit "braver on the ball" against Roberto Martinez' star-studded side.

It's something he thought Steve Clarke's were better at in their narrow defeat to Croatia on Saturday, and a sign of the "improvement" the team have made in their Nations League campaign.

"Scotland have got to be realistic, we're not going to dominate the ball against Portugal," said Campbell on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast.

"Even people, like me, who are calling for Scotland to be a bit braver on the ball, we'd like to see us actually try and play through Portugal at times, but there's got to be variety.

"I guess if it's Lyndon Dykes or Che Adams up front, they are going to have to hold the ball up and they may have to play it into their feet for 40 or 50 yards. That was something that I actually thought Scotland improved against Croatia.

"I thought actually on the ball there looked to have been work on actually trying to play a controlled pass into the striker rather than just launching it and having absolutely nobody around Dykes.

"There did look to be a little bit of improvement there.

"Whether I'm searching for things too much could be argued, but there's definitely two or three things that looked like they were trying to be a bit more progressive and a bit less direct."

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Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Che Adams says Scotland respect the "amazing stars" they will face when they take on Portugal at Hampden in the Nations League on Tuesday, but believes Steve Clarke’s men have the ability to "hurt" their illustrious opponents.

The Scots gave a credible performance when the sides met in Lisbon last month and looked on course to claim a point until Cristiano Ronaldo struck late in the game to secure a 2-1 win for the hosts.

After a similar story in Zagreb against Croatia where they also lost 2-1 on Saturday, Adams says want to go "toe-to-toe" with another of the world’s top sides at Hampden.

"We know how good of a nation they are and how many amazing stars they've got, but it's down to us and what we do on the pitch," said the Torino striker.

"We've definitely got the team to hurt them and shake them about. That's what we proved against Croatia, against the top nation as well.

"Tuesday is going to be no different."

Scotland were criticised for what many perceived to be an overly-cautious approach at the Euros where they managed just one goal in three games as they failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Adams believes the team has demonstrated a desire to offer more as an attacking threat in recent games.

"I've definitely seen the changes in the mentality in the attacking play against Croatia," he said.

"We played in a back four and we were definitely on the front foot and getting after them.

"I think it just helps having more bodies on the pitch to put them under pressure and create chances.

"I think we created a few against Croatia the other day and I think it just puts a positive spin on things if you have more people on the pitch to help in attack and get the ball back."

"Everyone in the nation wants us to play against the best and go toe-to-toe with them.

"Tomorrow is going to be no exception. Everyone's going to be up for it. The crowd are going to be up for it.

"As long as we start fast and we start quick, we'll be in for a good night."

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• Scotland have lost each of their last four matches against Portugal with the Scots only currently on a longer run of defeats against Belgium (six – last meeting 2019) and Brazil (six – last meeting 2011).

• Portugal won 3-1 on their last away trip to Scotland in an October 2018 friendly, but have never previously won back-to-back such games (W1 D2 L4 prior).

• Scotland have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions, each by a margin of a single goal. Never before in the nation's history have they lost five successive games.

• Portugal have won each of their last seven competitive away games by an aggregate score of 22-1. They have never won eight such fixtures in a row before in their history.

• Scotland are without a win in their last five home matches in all competitions (D2 L3), the joint-longest such run in their history after also going five without winning between November 2007 and November 2008.

• Portugal have won 15 and lost just one of their last 18 competitive internationals (D2), with that sole defeat coming to Georgia at EURO 2024 (0-2).

• Of Ryan Christie's seven goals for Scotland, four have come in the Uefa Nations League (57%). Indeed, Christie has more goal involvements in the competition (eight – four goals and four assists) than any other player for Scotland.

• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in all three of Portugal's Uefa Nations League games in 2024-25. The forward last netted in four successive international appearances in June 2021.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez says "Scotland are building something special" before the sides meet at Hampden on Tuesday.

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Steve Clarke says he was not aware that Tuesday's Nations League match against Portugal will see him take charge of the second-most Scotland matches ever, behind only Craig Brown.

Clarke - who took charge in 2019 - will lead Scotland for the 62nd time against the Portuguese, taking him past both Jock Stein and Andy Roxburgh.

"I didn't know that," Clarke said. "Proud, obviously, to be mentioned in the same breath as people like Mr Stein and Mr Roxburgh, who still sends me the occasional email just to keep in touch. No, listen, it's really good.

"It shows you that the players have been fantastic for us over the last five and a half years of my reign as head coach. I'd like to add a few more to the number, if I could."

Asked if catching Brown is an incentive, Clarke stressed his sole focus is leading Scotland to the 2026 World Cup, after which his contract expires.

"I want to go to the World Cup," he said.

"I believe this squad of players are good enough to go to the World Cup in 2026. That's all I'm focused on."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland manager Steve Clarke has been speaking to the media this afternoon before the Nations League match against Portugal at Hampden on Tuesday.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• Clarke says all the players understand where the team are in the process and all are on board with it.

• He doesn't understand how anyone can doubt this group of players given they have qualified for back-to-back Euros and are competing with the top teams at the moment.

• Everyone wants Scotland to be good right now but his job is also to build for the future so the country doesn't have another period of 20 years without playing in a major finals.

• Important not to "overhype" Ben Doak as has happened in the past with other players. He wants Doak to be a talent "for the next 15 years, not the next 15 months".

• The team can take confidence from their display against Portugal in Lisbon and Clarke hopes Scotland can produce a similar performance but a better result.

Analysis of Ben Doak's performance against Croatia has been "over the top", says BBC Sport Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English.

Scotland's style under Steve Clarke depends too much on "individuals" and some of the issues could be solved by playing natural wingers, according to coach and analyst John Walker.

Clarke's side have won just one of their last 15 games, with several key players - the likes of John McGinn, Kieran Tierney and Aaron Hickey - out injured.

"Stylistically I think there's a real problem and I think it's highlighted when you lose four or five key players," Walker told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"Our style is reliant on individuals, it's not a style of play that people can slot into. It's Tierney making the back five and it changes the whole system, it's Hickey at right wing-back giving us that option because as much as Tony Ralston didn't do much to let us down, he's just not anywhere near what Hickey brings to the side.

"For me, a lot of the problems come from not playing natural wide men. I know Ben Doak started, which is a good starting point, but Ryan Christie's not a natural wide man."

Walker also expressed frustrations over the same defensive frailties costing Scotland during their recent poor run.

"I put up a clip on Twitter of us continually conceding these same goals with overlapping right wing-backs from that left side," Walker said.

"It's alarming how many of the same goals I keep seeing conceded. And our ability to try and defend the box is really questionable.

"Croatia, there was a warning sign right before we conceded that second goal from the exact same move, a switch of play to the overlapping right wing-back. It happened in the Norway game, and it also happened in the Georgia game."

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John Souttar wants Ben Doak to simply enjoy his football after the youngster impressed on his first start for Scotland.

Doak, 18, caused problems throughout Scotland's 2-1 Nations League loss against Croatia and was involved in Ryan Christie's opening goal.

However, Souttar was wary of heaping expectation on Doak at such an early stage in his international career.

"He was really good," Souttar said. "It's just important to focus on that and look at what he did without putting too much pressure on him.

"We should let him enjoy his football and give him that freedom.

"Don't put pressure on a young boy – just let him go out and perform. I thought he was excellent.

"He's 18. He's so young. He's just got to enjoy it."