Shortly after Kylian Mbappe had departed the scene to join Real Madrid earlier this summer, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique was asked to assess the strength of those who remained under his command in the French capital.
With a squad that would be the envy of managers across Europe, Enrique wasn’t short of top talents to discuss. But one name immediately sprung to mind.
Vitinha. A little twinkle-toed magician in central midfield whom Enrique declared had been PSG’s best player last season, even with Mbappe in the team.
Watching Vitinha strut his stuff for Portugal at Hampden last night, it wasn’t difficult to understand why Enrique reached that conclusion.
Where Luka Modric had been relatively quiet in Zagreb on Saturday night, Portugal’s midfield maestro was comfortably the best player on the pitch.
Vitinha’s use of the ball was outstanding; neat and tidy when it had to be, more expansive when he had the space to ping it around the vast expanses of the Hampden pitch.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha was the standout performer on the pitch at Hampden
Vitinha keeps a close eye on Ben Doak as the Scotland winger tries to instigate a break
Billy Gilmour gets to the ball ahead of Vitinha as Scotland try to nullify the midfielder’s threat
The way he found pockets of space in which to operate was a masterclass for any young midfielder with aspirations to make it at the top level.
Scotland couldn’t get near him. This little technician in the middle of the park who was bizarrely outcasted by Wolverhampton Wanderers a few years ago is now very much the beating heart of Portugal’s national team.
Where Vitinha’s passing was sharp and incisive, helping the visitors monopolise the football at times, Scotland’s was rushed and panicked.
In the end, Steve Clarke’s side held out to claim a point. Not many gave them much of a chance at the start of the night, especially given the wretched run of form.
Taking a point from a team containing the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Co is never to be sniffed at.
But Scotland’s use of the ball was so abysmal at times that it did little to dispel the feeling that they are out of their depth in Pot A of the Nations League.
Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure at full-time as Portugal failed to claim all three points
It’s not that they lack the composure of technical proficiency. This is a team whose strength is to be found in a talented core of central midfielders.
But they are being asked to play in a way that is not reflective of their talents. What good is having a technician like Billy Gilmour when Scotland spend 90 minutes bypassing the midfield?
This was a night when Clarke stemmed the bleeding and credit to him for that. A clean sheet against this class of opposition is a fine effort, if aided by Portuguese profligacy in front of goal.
But, if Scotland are to make progress and improve technically, his long-ball tactics simply won’t cut it on nights such as these.
The roads around Hampden ground to a halt in the hours before kick-off. When the team buses eventually squeezed through the traffic via two police escorts, there was a feeling that Scotland may look to park theirs slap-bang in front of Craig Gordon’s goal.
Portugal had weaved their magic in Warsaw last weekend, winning 3-1 against Poland in a match where the scoreline probably flattered the hosts more than it did the visitors.
Bruno Fernandes gets a header off at goal despite the attentions of John Souttar
Against a Scotland side devoid of confidence and ravaged by injuries, there was an expectation that Portugal would assume total command right from the off.
In the early exchanges, it was Scotland who had the better chances. Scott McTominay should have scored with a header from an Andy Robertson cross with the game only five minutes old, while Ryan Christie’s shot was saved by Portugal keeper Diogo Costa.
Yet, the longer the half wore on, Scotland would have been forgiven had they sent out a search party to look for the ball. It was nowhere to be found, lost in wave after wave of Portuguese possession.
Scotland were struggling to find a way of combatting Portugal’s width. The two wing-backs, Nuno Mendes and Joao Cancelo, stretched the pitch at every opportunity in their 3-4-2-1 shape.
It was an avenue which proved most fruitful for the Portuguese when the teams met in Lisbon last month, with Rafael Leao terrorising Tony Ralston.
AC Milan star Leao was on the bench last night, much to the relief, you suspect, of Ralston. Not that Portugal’s team was in any way lacking star quality.
Yet, for all the abundance of talent on display, there were also some moments of absolute calamity, none more so than when Ronaldo and Mendes completely botched a short free-kick routine.
Substitute Rafael Leao sees his late effort blocked by Scotland replacement Nicky Devlin
Ronaldo almost beheaded Billy Gilmour when he flung himself high into the air to attempt an overhead kick.
Ten years ago, those would have flown into the top corner. Now, just a few months shy of his 40th birthday, the chances of a goal are just as likely as a dislocated hip.
Ronaldo scored his first goal for Portugal in June 2004, some 18 months before Ben Doak had even been born.
Arriving in Glasgow with 133 goals in 215 caps for his country, the Portuguese superstar had a few chances to add to that.
But, on what was his first ever appearance at Hampden, Ronaldo fluffed his lines and spent more time remonstrating with the referee than he did troubling Gordon in the Scotland goal.
As the game wore on, there was a feeling that Scotland could be caught by a late sucker punch, just as they had been in Lisbon when Ronaldo fired a late winer.
But their resistance held out in the end. Ronaldo couldn’t get the better of Grant Hanley, an episode unlikely to make it into the great man’s memoirs.
Vitinha takes on Scotland attacker Che Adams during an impressive Hampden showing
Leao couldn’t get the better of Ralston on this occasion, nor Nicky Devlin when the Aberdeen man came off the bench to make his Scotland debut.
Scotland soldiered on and claimed a point which felt beyond them at the start of the night.
Fans had arrived at the stadium desperate to catch a glimpse of Ronaldo. But, by the end of 90 minutes, there was no doubt who had been Portugal’s best player.
Enrique’s assessment of the PSG squad were also true of the Portuguese national team.
