Player Ratings as European Giants Cancel Each Other Out

FBL-EUR-NATIONS-FRA-POR
France and Portugal played out a drab 0-0 draw at the Stade de France | FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

France and Portugal played out a 0-0 draw in the Nations League, with the result keeping Cristiano Ronaldo’s side top of group A3.

In a first half of very few chances, both teams struggled to break each other down. It was a similar story after the break.

Pepe thought he had opened the scoring with 20 minutes left to play, only for his strike to be ruled out for offside.

Here are 90min‘s player ratings on another night of UEFA Nations League action…

Hugo Lloris (GK) – 7/10 – Only had a handful of saves to make but performed when called upon.

Benjamin Pavard (RB) – 7/10 – Rock solid at the back and provided Les Bleus with much needed width.

Raphael Varane (CB) – 7/10 – Dealt with the threat of Ronaldo and Felix very well.

Pascal Kimpembe (CB) – 8/10 – Same as above, with a special mention for his aerial dominance and clearances.

Lucas Hernandez (LB) – 8/10 – Incredible tackle to deny Ronaldo in the first half. Pushed forward well.

N’Golo Kanté (CM) – 6/10 – Started strongly, even helping out the attack at times. Faded badly after the break.

Paul Pogba (CM) – 5/10 – Hit and miss. Looked unstoppable at times and anonymous at others. Surrendered possession frequently.

Adrien Rabiot (CM) – 5/10 – The weak link in the France midfield. Occasionally slowed play down unnecessarily.

Antoine Griezmann (AM) – 5/10 – Sporadic flashes of brilliance punctuate a mostly anonymous display.

Kylian Mbappe (ST) – 7/10 – The most dangerous attacker on the pitch.

Olivier Giroud (ST) – 5/10 – Starved of any service. Looked extra rugged and handsome with his head bandaged though – if that’s any consolation?

Anthony Martial – N/A

Kingsley Coman – N/A

Rui Patricio (GK) – 7/10 – Only called into action on a handful of occasions.

Nelson Semedo (RB) – 7/10 – A couple of good tackles. His battle for supremacy with Hernandez was a rare bright spot in a dire game.

Pepe (CB) – 7/10 – Marshalled the backline well. Mbappe caused him a few problems as expected. He is 37 after all.

Ruben Dias (CB) – 6/10 – Caught out several times with balls in behind. He’ll fit in well at Manchester City then.

Raphael Guerreiro – 7/10 – A couple of brilliant crosses from the left. Portugal’s attacks mainly focussed down his side.

Bruno Fernandes (CM) – 6/10 – Tried his best to make something happen but wasn’t his day.

Danilo Pereira (CM) – 7/10 – Wonderfully destructive at times. Made several important blocks.

William Carvalho (CM) – 6/10 – Clumsy in possession but broke up play nicely.

Bernardo Silva (RW) – 7/10 – Roamed around trying to influence the game. Looked most likely to create something for Portugal.

Joao Felix (ST) – 5/10 – Did not get many chances. Was wasteful when presented with a rare opportunity.

Cristiano Ronaldo (LW) – 6/10 – Stayed very much committed to his poacher role, probably to the detriment of his team. Nearly won it at the end.

Diogo Jota – 6/10

Renato Sanches – N/A

João Moutinho – N/A

Joao Cancelo – N/A

Francisco Trincao – N/A