Scotland finally got a win – they got Cristiano Ronaldo banging

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Scotland remain winless but the losing streak is over and there was a glimpse of another victory against Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo applauded sarcastically as he stormed down the tunnel at the end of this goalless draw at Hampden. Ronaldo's frustration at being denied by an older goalkeeper, 41-year-old Craig Gordon, spilled over when Portugal were prevented from taking a corner in stoppage time and referee Lawrence Visser blew his full-time whistle as Bernando Silva and Bruno Fernandes jogged to the touchline. Since Ronaldo had Visser in his ear all night, the Belgian had probably endured enough and wanted it to be over.

There were finally cheers for Steve Clarke and his beleaguered team, although many came at the expense of Ronaldo, the pantomime villain who thundered off the pitch in a fit of rage without shaking hands or applauding the Portuguese fans in the corner. In many ways, it was mission accomplished for the hosts, who held their own and failed to lose five games in a row for the first time. Gordon had an outstanding performance between the posts, as did Grant Hanley and John Souttar, who secured their clean sheet with brave performances in central defense. Even debutant Nicky Devlin, a late substitute, played his part with a brilliant block against Rafael Leao.

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The irony for Scotland, however, is that they were weak for long stretches, far worse than their previous Nations League defeats to Poland, Portugal and Croatia. Clarke's side were wasteful in possession while attempting to play through the middle third and aimless in their attempts to score long shots against an isolated Che Adams. There was little evidence of a plan or idea to alleviate the dire situation. There is only one win in 16 left for the national team. Relegation from the top division of the Nations League is still imminent.

The relief, perhaps, was that Portugal was also shockingly bad, and in a very different way. Instead of a severe lack of options for Clarke given Scotland's injury crisis, it almost feels like Roberto Martinez has too much attacking talent to choose from. Martinez also refuses to distract from Ronaldo, who is at the center of his attack. Ronaldo had scored in three consecutive appearances for Portugal since his Euro 2024 performances were disastrous. He didn't seem to score here, but he stuck with it until the end, scowling and giving a thumbs-up to the stands.

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Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo was at the center of the action. But it was a hard-fought, low-quality battle, best summed up by Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes botching a Portuguese free-kick 30 meters from goal while simultaneously sinking it just before goal. The 39-year-old's theatrical plea to referee Visser was accompanied by pantomime boos from the Tartan Army, which turned into jeers when he miscontrolled a diagonal pass and the ball slipped under his studs or he missed a shot on goal, which there were several.

Ronaldo also gave a glimpse of the spectacle when he suddenly jumped into the air and attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick, but it went wide and the referee awarded a free kick the other way for dangerous play. It turned out to be an evening like this for Portugal, who dominated without taking the lead. Scotland had their own veteran Gordon to thank for parrying Mendes's free-kick from an angle into the top corner. Ronaldo, meanwhile, kept firing, shooting low to Gordon from the left early on and firing a shot over the crossbar from the right just before half-time.

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However, it was Scotland who had the best chance in the first half. Clarke couldn't have dreamed of a better combination than Andy Robertson's sharp cross which found an unmarked Scott McTominay six meters from goal. The biggest surprise came when McTominay headed straight at Diogo Costa. Scotland then retreated and challenged possession either through turnovers or cheap free kicks – McTominay wasting a rather rash shot and picking up a yellow card for a lunge on his former Manchester United team-mate Fernandes.

Portugal's opener seemed inevitable as Scotland continued to give away possession. A free-standing Ronaldo headed a golden chance over the bar after Robertson this time lost the ball as he advanced past half. Then Ben Doak was caught and Francisco Conceicao rolled over after a one-two with Ronaldo. The guests provided additional momentum with the substitution of Leao, who set up Portugal's best chance with a pass to Fernandes. However, Gordon reacted cleverly on the line and deflected the rebound to deny Ronaldo.

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Scotland didn't give Costa any problems in the second half but there were chances. McTominay's touch and drive suddenly had Portugal turning, but Ryan Christie couldn't find Robertson or Doak, both of whom were in the space to his left. A knockdown from Adams went to McTominay, who was unable to complete the deal. Scotland broke through late through Anthony Ralston, but he was unable to push the cross through to McTominay, who stormed away with him. In the end a point was warranted, not that Ronaldo would agree.