Qatar 1-3 Portugal: Player ratings as Bruno Fernandes penalty seals friendly win for Cristiano Ronaldo-less Selecao | International Friendly 2021

Portugal beat Qatar sans Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal beat Qatar sans Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal beat nine-man Qatar 3-1 in Hungary in an international friendly. Goals from Andre Silva, Otavio Monteiro and Bruno Fernandes got the job done for the Selecao, who were without Cristiano Ronaldo.

Quickfire goals from Silva and Otavio, both sublime headers, in the 23rd and 24th minutes, appeared to have ended Qatar's chances. And their night turned sour when goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham was sent off just before half-time for a cynical-looking foul on Goncalo Guedes.

The Maroons were in for a long night, but held their fort steady in the second half. However, a foul inside the area on Diogo Jota by Tarek Salman gave Portugal a penalty.

Fernandes made no mistake from 12 yards, but moments before taking it up, another Qatar player - Boualem Khoukhi - was sent off for remonstrating.

In the end, it was a routine victory for Fernando Santos and co. On that note, here are the player ratings for the Selecao:


Anthony Lopes - 7/10

He punched a cross clear early on and then showed excellent anticipation by charging out of his line to make another key stop. However, there was nothing Lopes could do about Qatar's goal.

Nelson Semedo - 7/10

Portugal's right-back started the match brightly, playing a central role in creating some early chances. But he fizzled out soon after, and oversaw a damp second-half.

Domingos Duarte - 6.5/10

Duarte was given a tough time by Qatar's marauding attackers. But he recovered in the second half to make a few key blocks.

Danilo Pereira - 7/10

An assured presence at the back, Pereira read the game brilliantly, clearing the ball out of danger and showing immense speed in recovery too.

Nuno Mendes - 5/10

His passes were wayward, and efforts lacked venom to truly test Qatar.

Joao Mario - 6.5/10

Mario laid out an inch-perfect cross for Silva for Portugal's opening goal, but didn't enjoy the same luck again. His other shots were either blocked or went begging. But it was, nevertheless, an encouraging attacking performance from him.

Ruben Neves - 6.5/10

His distribution was great and knitted a few good passes together in attacking plays. But nothing meaningful came of it.

Joao Moutinho - 6/10

Energetic and adventurous, but Moutinho often ran into a stream of red shirts while driving forward, limiting his overall impact.

Otavio Monteiro - 7/10

Less than a minute after Silva opened the scoring for Portugal, the youngster got into the act in an almost identical manner. Monteiro, in the process, joined Deco and Leidson on the list of Portuguese players to have scored on their debut.

Andre Silva - 7/10

Qatar kept an eye on the striker as defenders swarmed around him like bees whenever Silva came in possession. After a few failed attempts, Silva found the net with a header.


Goncalo Guedes - 8/10

Arguably Portugal's best player on the night, Guedes packed a punch with his mazy runs and delicious crosses. One of them set up Otavio for Portugal's second goal. He also got Qatar's goalkeeper sent off, although the decision seemed a tad too harsh.


Ratings of Portugal substitutes

Bruno Fernandes - 7.5/10

He created one good chance for Jota, which came to nothing, and then saw a good effort blocked. However, the Manchester United talisman redeemed himself a minute later by successfully dispatching a penalty.

Ruben Dias - 6/10

The Premier League star slotted comfortably in defence, and made sure there was no late drama for Portugal.

Raphael Guerreiro - N/A

He replaced Mendes late on, but didn't have much to do as the game winded down.

Francisco Trincao - 6/10

Trincao helped win a free-kick on the edge of the D late on, which Fernandes very nearly scored from.

Rafa Silva - N/A

He looked to get himself involved, but didn't have enough time to make an impact.

Diogo Jota - 6/10

He missed from close range against Ireland and missed a header from close against Qatar too. That's two big chances wasted by the Liverpool star in a span of three days.

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