Portugal vs Republic of Ireland Player Ratings as Cristiano Ronaldo shines bright, scoring the 130th international goal to his name
Portugal vs Republic of Ireland Summary
Age is just a number for Cristiano Ronaldo, as the forward helped Portugal beat Republic of Ireland at Estádio Municipal de Aveiro. The former Real Madrid megastar scored two out of his side’s three goals, with Joao Felix claiming the rest. The 3-0 victory was a good tryout before playing their first game in Euro 2024 next week.
Portugal National Football Team Player Ratings Against Republic of Ireland
Goalkeeper and defence
Diogo Costa (7/10)
With Portugal dominating ball possession, Costa had not so much to do under the post.
António Silva (7.5/10)
Another fine product of Benfica Academy, doing his defending homework well with three clearances, one block, and one tackle.
Pepe (6/10)
Age is just a number for Pepe, as he led the younger generations of Portugal’s national team in the defensive line.
Gonçalo Inácio (7.5/10)
Patiently wait in the backline for Ireland to come to attack. He has a total of 96 percent of successful passes during the match.
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes (8/10)
Contributed for Portugal’s first goal by Joao Felix. Fernandes started to show that he was a big guy in a big moment for Portugal.
João Neves (7/10)
Improving day after day, one of the most anticipated youngsters in the Euro 2024. Neves was composed in the midfield despite being only 19 years old.
Joao Cancelo (7.1/10)
Effectively distributing the ball throughout the game as well as winning duels in the midfield.
Diogo Dalot (6.9/10)
Pivotal for Portugal in transitioning from attacking to defending, and vice versa. Winning duels and supplying passes for his teammates up front.
Attack
Joao Felix (7.3/10)
Breaking the deadlock for Portugal when his team needed him the most.
Rafael Leao (6.9/10)
His pace helped Portugal create multiple chances. Leao himself made one huge chance in the first half but was denied.
Cristiano Ronaldo (9.1/10)
Portugal’s main star of the game. Ronaldo found it difficult to break Ireland’s defense apart initially before his second-half goal.
Substitutions
Danilo Pereira (7.2/10)
Coming on in the second half to replace Pepe, did it well as Portugal managed to keep the clean sheet
Nuno Mendes (7/10)
Replacing Dalot in the second half to make Portugal even more dangerous to Ireland.
Nelson Semedo (7.1/10)
Played well filling the boots of Diogo Dalot in the second half.
Ruben Neves (7.5/10)
Neves played well after coming on to replace Portugal’s first goal-scorer, Felix.
Diogo Jota (7/10)
The Liverpool winger has been constantly given Ireland threats since coming in the second half, replacing Leao.
Matheus Nunes (6.6/10)
Give a little impact in Portugal’s midfield area by delivering 11 successful passes out of 12 attempts.
Ireland National Football Team Player Ratings Against Portugal
Goalkeeper and defence
Caoimhin Kelleher (6.8/10)
Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper had an important lesson against the 2016 Euro champions.
Liam Scales (6.5/10)
Had a little struggle dealing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Dalot, but overall, he played well in the game.
Jake O’Brien (6.7/10)
Apart from defending, O’Brien also helped Ireland in the attacking scenario. He had two accurate long passes with an overall record of 95 percent of successful passing distribution.
Dara O’Shea (6.2/10)
No significant defending contribution from O’Shea, but the 25-year-old player had an important experience playing against one of the most dangerous side in the continent.
Midfield
Robbie Brady (6.7/10)
Spending 53 minutes on the pitch to deliver 11 successful passes from 16 attempts.
Josh Cullen (6.4/10)
Struggled to keep up with Portugal’s decorated midfielders, losing possession multiple times, which led to committing foul.
Will Smallbone (6.5/10)
Had a tough day in the game today but he won the ground duels twice to take the ball from the opponents.
Séamus Coleman (6.1/10)
Everton’s ace still has it as he led the team to keep up with Portugal’s pace and agility.
Attack
Sammie Szmodics (6.5/10)
He lost the ball more than he could deliver a key pass in this game.
Troy Parrott (6.5/10)
Found it hard to penetrate into Portugal’s defending force by only touching the ball 13 times during the first half.
Adam Idah (6.7/10)
Portugal’s defenders marked him so tight that Idah could only touch the ball 14 times in the first half.
Substitutions
Callum O’Dowda (6.5/10)
Cardiff City player had a hard time dealing with Portugal’s intensity as he lost possessions in the second half.
Michael Johnston (6.5/10)
Had trouble breaking Portugal’s defence. During his 35 minutes on the pitch, he failed to launch a single shot.
Thomas Cannon (6.7/10)
Cannon touched the ball 19 times but still could not have enough space to shoot it.
Matt Doherty (6.5/10)
With Portugal continue putting Ireland under pressure, Doherty can only stay in his area to prevent the opponents score another goal.
Jason Knight (6.5/10)
Despite only touching the ball 12 times, Knight had a 100 percent successful passing rate.
Mark Sykes (6.4/10)
Sykes struggled to pull himself together as he lost the ball four times
ALSO READ: A tactical preview for Portugal National Football Team playing in EURO 2024