Anthony Ralston was the only Celtic man in action last night as Scotland came out on the end of a narrow defeat away to Portugal in the Nations League.
Steve Clarke’s side got off to a frustrating start in new-found League A territory last Thursday, surrendering a point in injury time courtesy of a Nicolas Zalewski penalty.
Ralston enjoyed a mixed evening after being penalised for a spot-kick and claiming an assist, but the Celtic man was trusted to start against Portugal last night, directly facing Rafael Leao before the AC Milan winger was taken off for Joao Felix just before the 70th-minute mark.
Despite Scotland conceding another late winner that saw Cristiano Ronaldo secure the victory in Lisbon, Ralston can be proud of his performance in a daunting environment.
Anthony Ralston’s ‘brave’ performance against Portugal
In typical fashion, Ralston rolled his sleeves up and got stuck in over the 90 minutes, making several key interceptions and tackles as Scotland went down fighting at Estadio da Luz.
The Celtic defender wasn’t caught positionally on too many occasions and stood up to the task at hand despite Scotland extending their torrid run to one victory in 14 matches.
He was granted a 6/10 rating by Herald Scotland, who said: “It was expected to be a tough test for the Celtic right-back given his lack of game time at club level and the stature of the opponent. Yet despite having to contend with Leao’s pace down the flank, he put in a brave performance and stuck to his task extremely well.”
In contrast, the Edinburgh Evening News were slightly less forthcoming in their assessment, giving Ralston a 5/10 with the following statement: “Has had to adapt quickly at this top international level. Made a few decent overlapping runs, but Leao caused him plenty of bother down the right throughout. Stuck to his task and will have been pleased to see the back of Leao with 20 mins remaining.”
Continuing a common theme, The Scotsman commended Ralston for sticking to his task against an elite opponent offering a 6/10 rating: “The Celtic right-back really had his work cut out against a quality winger as he struggled to handle the pace and trickery of AC Milan’s Rafael Leao. Was exposed at times but avoided the type of costly errors that have blighted his recent international performances and mostly stuck to his task well.”
TNT Sports scored the Lennoxtown graduate at a seven for his spirited exploits against the group favourites, who Scotland face again during the next international break after taking on Croatia three days earlier.
Anthony Ralston did himself justice against Portugal
Amid a couple of unfortunate defensive instances, Ralston has been harshly treated by a minority of those in international football circles and served as a reminder of why he was in Clarke’s plans last night.
Overall, the 25-year-old completed five defensive actions, six recoveries and recorded a 100% tackle success rate on a night his side were up against the odds in Lisbon [Fotmob].
You couldn’t fault his determination and ability to stick to the task at hand against Portugal when many would’ve folded in similar circumstances.
Now, the focus for Ralston will be featuring for Celtic once the international break concludes. With Alistair Johnston’s hamstring problem creating questions surrounding his availability, the Scotland man may be needed to deputise straight away.
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