Birkir Bjarnason wrote his name into the history books as Iceland belied their underdog status to earn a 1-1 draw with Portugal at UEFA Euro 2016 on Tuesday. We take a look at how each of the players fared over the course of the football match:
Portugal:
Rui Patricio: 6.5/10
The Sporting shot-stopper made a couple of decent saves early in the game to deny Sigurdsson. He cannot be faulted for Iceland’s equalizer. He kept a cool head and was assured throughout the game.
Pepe: 3/10
The Real Madrid defender was arguably the worst player on the pitch by a country mile. Pepe should have been sent off after a reckless challenge. He was also partly to blame for Iceland’s equalizer.
Ricardo Carvalho: 5/10
Some poor defending from the experienced centre-half led to Iceland’s equalizer. He looked out of sorts throughout the game. The AS Monaco defender needs to step up or else the in-form Jose Fonte will snatch his spot.
Raphael Guerreiro: 7/10
The Lorient man was the Portugal’s best defender on the pitch. He made a few dangerous runs down the left flank and provided a few decent crosses which couldn't be capitalised on.
Vieirinha: 5/10
The Wolfsburg full-back had a night to forget. He found it difficult to deal with the likes of Sigurdsson and Gunnarsson. Cedric Soares is waiting in the wings if at all he fails again.
Danilo Pereira: 7.5/10
The Porto defensive midfielder played his role to perfection. He made a few challenges here and there and provide a few decent passes and communicated well with the defenders. Definitely Portugal’s best player on the pitch.
Andre Gomes: 6/10
Apart from the assist to Nani, Gomes did not contribute offensively. Defensively, he looked better and could have retained possession on many occasions, which he did not.
Joao Mario: 5/10
The Sporting Lisbon central midfielder did not justify his selection over Renato Sanches. He played a few poor passes and could not control the game in any aspect.
Joao Moutinho: 6/10
The Monaco midfielder fared a bit better compared to compatriot Joao Mario. His passing was a bit better, but it lacked the ‘killer instinct’. He must put up a better performance against Austria and Hungary.
Nani: 7/10
Nani finished off a well-worked goal after being denied early on. He provided a few decent deliveries into the box. By far, he was Portugal’s biggest goal threat.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 4.5/10
Iceland’s tactic of not marking him manually worked to perfection. He missed a couple of headers and wasted a free-kick late on. Otherwise, Iceland defenders did a fabulous job in shutting down the main man. Proceeded to complain about Iceland during a post-match interview.
Substitutes:
Renato Sanches: 6/10
Sanches looked promising for the 20-odd minutes that he played. He must start the next game if Portugal are thinking about winning
Ricardo Quaresma: 5.5/10
He could not start due to injury concerns. Put in a couple of juicy crosses that should’ve been finished. Will play a huge role in future fixtures.
Eder: N/A
The Swansea man came on too late to make an impact.
Iceland:
Hannes Halldorsson: 9/10
He was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. The Glimt keeper made a slew of fabulous saves to deny Portugal their second goal. Could not do anything about the opener. The shot-stopper will be vital in the nordic team’s matches against Austria and Hungary.
Birkir Mar Saevarsson: 6.5/10
He was looking a bit rusty to begin with. But, he settled well after Portugal’s opener. The full-back made fine tackles in the end to deny Quaresma.
Ragnar Sigurdsson: 8/10
The centre-back had a fabulous game. He made many last-ditch tackles to deny the likes of Nani and Ronaldo and also, martialled the defence with aplomb.
Kari Arnason: 8.5/10
Arnason was Iceland’s best defender. The 33-year-old partnered perfectly with Sigurdsson and shrugged off his opponents every time. He was a true rock in the defence
Ari Skulason: 5.5/10
The full-back did not have the best of games. He was comprehensively outpaced by Ronaldo on many occasions. He needs to step up from the next game.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson: 7/10
The Charlton Athletic midfielder provided a fine cross to assist the equalizing goal. He did a solid job compared to his counterparts. Gudmundsson will be vital in Iceland’s game against Austria, who have a weak central midfield.
Aron Gunnarsson: 7.5/10
The Cardiff midfielder started the move which led to Iceland’s equalizer. Along with Gylfi Sigurdsson, he was a constant threat to the Portuguese defence. He showed tremendous composure when under serious pressure.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: 7.5/10
Iceland’s key player started off wonderfully forcing two decent saves from Rui Patricio. The Swansea man was a constant ‘pain in the backside’ for the Portuguese defence. He will be a vital source for goals in the upcoming games.
Birkir Bjarnason: 8/10
The FC Basel player scored with a tidy finish after some awful Portuguese defending. Sadly, he was the only player to be booked in the entire game. He played his heart out and proved to be an ideal example for the youngsters.
Kolbeinn Sigborsson: 6/10
The FC Nantes striker had limited opportunities. He offered a good hand defensively. He linked up brilliantly with Sigurdsson in supplying for the Swansea man.
Jon Bodvarsson: 6/10
The 24-year-old did get many chances to make an impact. He made good use of whatever was offered to him.
Substitutes:
Theodor Elmar Bjarnason: N/A
Came on too late to make any impact.
Alfred Finnbogason: N/A
The Augsburg forward had very little time and possession to make an impact. He linked well with the 24-year-old Bodvarsson to create a chance late on in the game.
