Cristiano Ronaldo left furious as Andy Robertson breaths partial sigh of relief

Andy Robertson and Scotland’s against and Portugal.

In the 0-0 draw, Ronaldo was left frustrated by the Scottish defense, with the group keeping the 39-year-old star in check for most of the match. Though Ronaldo has his opportunities, as is expected to happen with a player of his calibre, the Portuguese ace failed to capitalize on those moments, which culminated in a successful result for the Scots.

For star and his side, however, the draw represented a much-needed result. Scotland had gone 10 games without a win, with only one win in the last 16 games, and so a result like this showed some progress from Steve Clarke’s men.

Additionally, Scotland had lost four matches in a row, showing just how much a draw against one of the best in the world was needed. Still, the side had their chances to emphatically turn their fortunes around but it was not meant to be, thanks to the steady Portuguese defence.

And while Portugal was impressive on both ends of the ball, additional credit has to go to Robertson and the unit Clarke put out to stop the Portuguese offensive, leaving Ronaldo flustered at the end of the match. Along with a clean sheet, Robertson, the captain, showed his prowess.

He won three for four duels and 100 percent of his tackles, showing his control of the tempo. And while Robertson and Scotland frustrated and neutralised Ronaldo, Clarke made sure to explain the importance of the draw for his side moving forward.

“It’s not about turning a corner, it’s just about working hard and not letting the country down,” he said, . “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."

Also, Tuesday night’s result calls to mind when during Liverpool’s 5-0 demolishing of Ronaldo’s Manchester United in October 2021. With United down heading into halftime of that game, Ronaldo aggressively kicked out at Curtis Jones, leading to Robertson to sprint over.

Robertson began pointing at Ronaldo’s face, scolding him for his dangerous actions. The Portuguese star was only assessed with a yellow card for losing his composure at that particular moment. And while Scotland only drew and Portugal, it has to be comforting for Robertson and the group to know their rough stretch has come to an end at Ronaldo’s expense.