What's happened
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late winner to secure a 2-1 victory for Portugal against Scotland in the UEFA Nations League. Despite an early goal from Scott McTominay, Scotland suffered their third consecutive defeat, continuing a winless streak in competitive matches. The match highlighted Scotland's attacking potential but also their struggles to secure results.
Why it matters
What the papers say
Gavin McCafferty from The Independent noted that Scotland's attacking play was effective, despite the disappointing result. He emphasized the team's effort and quality, stating, 'the players understand how difficult it is to get results at this level.' Matthew Elder from The Scotsman highlighted the performance of goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who made crucial saves despite criticism for the equalizer. Elder remarked on Scotland's ongoing winless streak, marking it as the longest in their history. Alan Pattullo, also from The Scotsman, pointed out the heartbreak of conceding late goals, stating, 'Scotland reacquainted themselves with heart-breaking failure at the death.'
How we got here
Scotland faced Portugal in the UEFA Nations League after a series of disappointing results, including two late losses in previous matches. Coach Steve Clarke shifted to a 4-2-3-1 formation to adapt to player injuries and improve performance.
More on these topics
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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team.
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Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96 mile border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and w
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Stephen Clarke is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Scotland national team.
Clarke played for St Mirren, Chelsea and the Scotland national team, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end o
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Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the nor
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The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
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Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Portugal national team.
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Scott Francis McTominay is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Scotland national team.