Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner on his 200th international appearance, bagging a late goal to secure a narrow win over Iceland.
The long-time captain scored the decisive goal in the 90th minute, lashing home from short range to rescue a 1-0 victory after an otherwise drab performance against Iceland.
The minnows had the better of the chances in the first half, despite only sparingly enjoying passages of possession. But they failed to convert on a trio of big opportunities. Still, their rigid 4-4-2 denied the visitors of any big opportunities in the first period.
Meanwhile, Portugal only had sparing moments. Ronaldo made some dangerous runs, but was caught offside more than once. And although the 38-year-old kissed the cross-bar with a header, he was otherwise ineffective in the box. Portugal's most consistent attacking threat was Rafael Leao. The Milan winger's back-post runs stretched the Iceland backline, while his off-ball work made up for the Selecao's immobility through the middle.
Portugal were handed a glimmer of hope when Willum Willumsson was sent off with 10 minutes remaining – and it proved to be crucial. The home side were a player short on a late free kick, allowing Ronaldo to sneak in unmarked at the far post to smash the ball into the net. Although it was originally ruled offside, a lengthy VAR check determined that Goncalo Inacio was onside to nod the ball into Ronaldo's path.
GOAL rates Portugal's players from Laugardalsvollur…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Diogo Costa (6/10):
Tested a few times in the first half, but was mostly solid.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Completed the most passes in the match, including a few searching long balls to get Leao involved
Pepe (6/10):
Hard to believe that he's still in the team at 40, but he showed very few signs of aging.
Danilo Pereira (6/10):
Still strange to have him as a third centre-back, given the opposition. His performance can't really be criticised, though.
AdvertisementMidfield
Diogo Dalot (5/10):
Not exactly a marauding presence, but was mostly tidy on the ball.
Ruben Neves (6/10):
Kept his side ticking, without offering anything revolutionary in a creative sense.
Bruno Fernandes (5/10):
Tried to find the killer ball, but often overhit his crosses. Far from his best.
Joao Cancelo (5/10):
Sprayed the ball around with his usual gusto, didn't create enough from a preferred deep-lying role.
Attack
Bernardo Silva (7/10):
Clever in possession, tidy around the box. Saw a few of his crosses ruined by wasteful finishing.
Cristiano Ronaldo (7/10):
Skimmed the top of the bar early in the second half. Did a lot of arm flailing and general diverting of attention. Went on to score a winner to mark his 200th international cap.
Rafael Leao (7/10):
Always looked to run at defenders, even though he didn't have much space to attack. Probably Portugal's best attacking threat on the day.
Subs & Manager
Raphael Guerreiro (6/10):
Brought on to change things, and didn't offer much.
Goncalo Inacio (6/10):
A centre-back change at 0-0. Ironically, assisted the winner.
Otavio (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Vitinha (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Diogo Jota (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Roberto Martinez (4/10):
Played three centre-backs against Iceland, which is slightly baffling. The jury remains out despite the result.