Scotland star Nicky Devlin has claimed that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was exasperated after a 0-0 draw between the two nations in the UEFA Nations League. The 31-year-old added that he missed out on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s jersey and speculated that Torino forward Che Adams was the recipient of the prized asset.
Coming into the game, Ronaldo was on a five-game scoring streak for club and country. He had bagged a goal each in four back-to-back wins for Al-Nassr, and in Portugal’s 3-1 victory over Poland (October 12).
However, he cut a forlorn figure against the Scots in what was his 200th start for his nation. He had just 34 touches, won just two out of five duels and managed just one shot on target out of four, which was duly saved by 41-year-old Craig Gordon (stats via FotMob).
According to tradition, players are allowed to swap their shirts with their opponents at full-time. Understandably, there was a beeline for Ronaldo’s shirt, with Devlin claiming he missed out on the 39-year-old’s jersey.
Devlin, who made his national debut in the game off the bench, spoke to reporters at full-time about the shirt swap. He said (via GOAL):
“I think Che (Adams) might have got his top to be fair. I don’t think he was too happy at the end… I got one with my name on the back and the number one which the manager gave me, so I was delighted with that.”
With the international break now concluded, Ronaldo will likely be seen in action when Al-Nassr play Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League (October 18).
“Its better to keep quiet” – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate delivers opinion on refereeing in 0-0 draw vs Scotland
Portugal international Joao Palhinha was incandescent at the refereeing in his nation’s 0-0 draw against Scotland. The defensive midfielder claimed that the officiating was sub-par and that ‘it’s better to keep quiet’ rather than court further controversy.
At full-time, superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo was also seen gesturing angrily towards the referees, his comrades and the crowd. The ex-Real Madrid attacker also charged down the tunnel without shaking hands with the Scottish players.
Speaking to Portuguese media outlet O Jogo after the game, Palhinha, who plies his trade for Bayern Munich at club level, said (via SPORTbible):
“The refereeing could have been much better, the game was often stopped. If I were to give my honest opinion… I don’t want to get into trouble, it’s better to keep quiet, but it wasn’t because of the refereeing that we didn’t win the game. It wasn’t a good job, but it’s our fault that we ended up drawing.”
“We’re still in first place in the group and now we have two games, one home and one away, and we have to keep up the good streak in the national team.”
Portugal currently sit on 10 points after four games (three wins, one draw), three points clear of second-placed Croatia in their group. With crucial games against Poland and Croatia coming up in November, Ronaldo’s men will have to be on top form to qualify for the knockout stages of the UNL.
