Steve Clarke sees plenty of positives for Scotland despite another late defeat

Scotland manager Steve Clarke urged his players not to be hard on themselves after suffering another late blow.

Half-time substitute Cristiano Ronaldo netted from close range in the 88th minute to earn Portugal a 2-1 victory in Lisbon in group A1 of the UEFA Nations League.

It was a familiar feeling for the Scotland players after conceding stoppage-time winners in their previous two matches, against Hungary in the Euro 2024 group stage and then Poland at Hampden on Thursday.

But, unlike the must-win game against Hungary, Scotland fans will come out of these Nations League matches with the feeling that their side have clearly been effective as an attacking force.

Scotland started on the front foot and Scott McTominay headed a seventh-minute opener before Bruno Fernandes swept home from 20 yards in the second half as the home side finally made some sustained pressure count.

But the equaliser prompted Scotland to get the ball down and play and they caused problems before the tide turned in the final 15 minutes.

Clarke has employed a 4-2-3-1 formation in both Nations League games following criticism of his decision to stick with three centre-backs after losing Kieran Tierney to an injury midway through the Euro 2024 campaign, one which also kept him out over the past week.

Clarke said: “It looked for a long period of time that we would get something from the game. I’m really disappointed for my players. The effort and the quality they put into the game, they deserved to get something from it.

Thank you for bringing your support near and far tonight, Scotland supporters