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Portugal and Spain played out a goalless friendly draw at Lisbon on Wednesday night.
With a Nations League double-header coming up, both sides played a slightly weakened line-up but that didn't deter them from giving it their all against one another.
La Roja were the more dominant side in the first half, controlling possession and making conscientious efforts at goal but the hosts grew into the match after the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Renato Sanches both had an effort each rattle the crossbar whereas Joao Felix missed an absolute sitter at the death.
It ended even stevens for the Iberian neighbours, and deservedly so. Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Flop: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Much to everyone's surprise, Cristiano Ronaldo started the game (probably because he didn't play at the weekend) and lasted a good 70 minutes. However, he failed to make an impression. Unlike the game in which he scored that pulsating hat-trick against Spain two years ago, the Portuguese skipper had a rather quiet outing this time around.
The Juventus talisman always stationed himself on Spain's defensive line hoping to pounce on some kind of delivery but his opponents' dominance on the ball ensured that he was devoid of service for large swathes of the game.
His best moment of the night was when he rattled the crossbar with a venomous effort before laying a superb cross for Renato Sanches, whose effort also met with a similar fate.
Hit: Rui Patricio (Portugal)
Rui Patricio is an underrated figure in the Portuguese squad but his performance on Wednesday showed how important he is to his side's fortunes. The Wolverhampton custodian had a stormer between the sticks, producing a series of confident stops and saves to deny Spain from taking the game away.
He was particularly busy during the opening exchanges when La Roja came flying out of the box and Daniel Olmo tested him with dangerous efforts. Patricio stood tall in the face of the onslaught and produced another fine save after the break, when he was on hand to deny the RB Leipzig player when he had a clear shot at goal.
Hit: Daniel Olmo (Spain)
In both his previous appearances for Spain, Dani Olmo had direct involvements in goal. He scored on his debut against Malta before making an assist in last month's victory against Ukraine. His hunger to add up to those figures in this match was clear as the RB Leipzig star posed a huge threat throughout the game.
Olmo's agility with the ball, coupled with his excellent control, caused plenty of problems for Portugal down the left flank. He had at least three shots on target but he should've done better with his effort in the second half, when he rifled the ball straight at Patricio.
Hit: Adama Traore (Spain)
After missing out on the previous two call-ups due to injury and testing positive for COVID-19, Adama Traore finally made his Spain debut after coming on in the second half. The Wolves star may have been given too little time to make an impression but he looks set to be a fine addition to the squad.
With lightning fast speed and excellent ball control, Traore was a live wire down the right flank. His cut-back to Olmo after darting down the byline was pure magic, and he later dragged an effort just narrowly wide off the post. Despite playing for just over half an hour, Traore left a hugely positive impact on his side.
Flop: Joao Felix (Portugal)
Joao Felix came off the bench and played fewer minutes than Adama Traore, so labelling him a flop may be too harsh. However, you cannot deny that his miss towards the end of the game should've been a late winner for Portugal.
Ruben Neves' corner kick was flicked on to the back post by Ruben Semedo with just few seconds left on the clock, and even though Felix lept to connect with the ball by sticking a leg out, the ball travelled under him and behind for a goal-kick!
The 20-year-old remains one of the best young talents currently in the circuit. However, missing a sitter like that doesn't bode well for a player who was valued at €126 million just over a year ago.
