Steve Clarke hails his Scotland heroes as Craig Gordon and Nicky Devlin give him 2 moments to remember
An irate Cristiano Ronaldo stomped off the pitch at Hampden as Steve Clarke's team secured a vital Nations League point.
And boss Clarke himself got swept up in the excitement, admitting he hadn't celebrated a SAVE like Craig Gordon's in years. Ronaldo made a beeline for the tunnel after the final whistle, irked by referee Lawrence Visser's decision to deny Roberto Martinez's team their chance to take a late corner, resulting in a well-fought 0-0 draw for Scotland and a much-needed morale boost.
Scotland entered the fray with a precarious record: only one win from the past 15 matches and teetering on the edge of a new unwanted record five consecutive defeats. Facing down the challenge presented by Ronaldo and co, the Scots stood firm and bagged their first Nations League point of this campaign.
Clarke couldn't hide his pride post-match, saying: "Obviously, the point was important for us. The work we've put into the group to get off the mark is nice. So, yeah, it's good. Nations League is off and running. Defensively we were sound. The shape to the team was good.
"There were some really good blocks, which you have to do against a team like Portugal. When you need a couple of big saves, your goalkeeper needs to chip in as as well. Everybody contributed to what is a well-earned point. Everybody keeps talking about their confidence, but their confidence was fine because they know they can play well.
"Maybe with the ball tonight, we didn't play quite as well as we normally do. I think a lot of the missed passes were probably down a little bit to fatigue. But I don't think they lack confidence. Obviously, tonight's point against one of the top European sides is going to give us even more confidence going into the November games. We go to those games, determined to get more points on the board."
Scotland are still hunting for their first win since defeating Gibraltar before the Euros. However, Clarke stated: "I don't think so much about turning a corner, I just think about working hard every time we come together to try and get points and be successful as a nation.
"That's what the boys want to do every time they come here, work ever so hard to not let their country down. We saw that tonight."
Scott McTominay had an early chance to extend his impressive scoring streak but squandered a golden opportunity. However, it was at the other end where the Scots needed to keep their concentration. Man of the match John Souttar was flawless against 39-year-old Ronaldo. Gordon, two years older, showed he's still got it with several crucial saves.
And Aberdeen's Nicky Devlin made a memorable debut contribution, coming off the bench to make a game-saving block against AC Milan winger Rafael Leao. "That was fantastic," said Clarke. "First cap for Nicky. A moment to remember. He was brave. I had no doubt he was putting Nicky into the game.
"He's trained really well. He's fitted into the group. He's got a good experience. He's 30 years of age and he's still got the games under his belt. I knew when Tony Ralston was ready to come off that Nicky would be fine, and he was.
Clarke also praised his team's work rate, saying: "We spoke before the game about doing all the dirty stuff, the hard work, the ugly stuff if you like and the boys did that fantastically."
Gordon's international career seemed to be over after he was left out of the Euros squad, but he has refused to give up on Scotland and turned in a key performance. Clarke added: "What I've always said about Craig, he's an ultimate professional. He's determined to play as long as he can and you see that tonight with his performance. Still performing at a very high level for his club and now for his country. I'm delighted to have him back in the squad."