Paulo Bernardo grabs Portugal U21 headlines as Ralston vows to use Leao lesson for Celtic – Parkhead news bulletin

Anthony Ralston reckons coming up against AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao will only make him BETTER.

The Celtic defender had his work cut out in Lisbon as he faced a direct battle with the Portugal flying machine. His pace is a real weapon for the winger and running full pelt would be a nightmare scenario for any full-back in Europe. Scotland eventually fell to a late 2-1 defeat with Cristiano Ronaldo netting from close-range with just minutes left on the clock to complete a turnaround win for the hosts.

Ralston was kept busy by the lightning quick wide man for his time on the park before he was subbed off at the 68 minute mark. The Hoops defender is convinced that going up in a one-on-one duel with some of the best wingers in the world will help him for club and country. He said: “He’s a good player and I’ll learn from games like that, coming up against those types of opponents.

"I relish it and take it head on. This is the level I want to play my football at. From a personal point of view, I respect that he’s a quality player. But on the pitch I’ve got a job to do against a winger, one v one and I felt I did fine.

“I’ll take confidence from that and use it going forward in my career. Games like that, against that quality, can only help me for Celtic and Scotland in the future. It’s great experience for me to play against a player like Leao. I need to learn from it and use it both at Celtic and Scotland whenever I’m called upon."

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