Portugal player ratings as Jose Fonte stands tall and Cristiano Ronaldo has mixed night in Iran draw

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  • Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second-half penalty but Ricardo Quaresma’s wonder goal was enough to ultimately earn Portugal a 1-1 draw against Iran to make World Cup 2018’s round of 16.

    Quaresma, 34, produced a trademark curled ‘trivela’ strike on the stroke of half-time to gain the lead in this feisty contest.

    Ronaldo endured a mixed night with the Video Assistant Referee. He saw a spot-kick saved after being belatedly awarded it for a foul by centre-back Morteza Pouraliganji, before later receiving a yellow card after apparently striking the same opponent.

    VAR then punished Portugal right-back Cedric Soares for a handball. Karim Ansarifard’s subsequent 93rd-minute penalty came too deep into injury time for an Iran, who needed victory to make their knockouts bow.

    The result saw Portugal finish second behind Spain in their pool. They’ll now meet Group A-winners Uruguay.

    Here are the Portugal player ratings from Mordovia Arena:

    PORTUGAL (4-4-2)

    Rui Patricio – 6: Took a blow to the face in the first half when he bravely snuffed out a promising position for Iran. Couldn’t get near excellent penalty.

    Cedric Soares – 6: Kept it simple before he was punished, probably harshly, for a handball under an aerial challenge by Iran striker Sardar Azmoun.

    Pepe – 7: Even at 35-years old, the Besiktas centre-back is still so key. Surprisingly, kept his head when Iran, collectively, lost theirs.

    Jose Fonte – 7: The Dalian Yifang defender was superb on the deck, beating Azmoun repeatedly to the ball. So comfortable at this level.

    Raphael Guerreiro – 6: Exorcised the painful memories from his nightmare against Morocco. Alireza Jahanbakhsh is not easy to subdue.

    Ricardo Quaresma – 7: A contender for goal of the tournament exploded off his right boot. But didn’t press his case further to remain in the starting line-up.

    Adrien Silva – 7: The Leicester City centre midfielder filled in admirably for the ill Joao Moutinho. Wonderful flick added to Quaresma’s magic moment.

    William Carvalho – 7: Was bypassed regularly by Morocco, but was back to his solid self against the Iranians. Rarely flustered.

    Joao Mario – 5: Volleyed a presentable chance over in the first half. Was far too quiet and his spot in XI for knockouts can’t be certain.

    Andre Silva – 6: The prolific scorer in qualifying, and surprise flop at AC Milan, did a lot of running for Ronaldo. Just about justified his start.

    Cristiano Ronaldo – 5: Joined nemesis Lionel Messi in missing a penalty at World Cup 2018. Was otherwise fairly anonymous, apart from surviving VAR call for a potential blow on Pouraliganji.

    SUBS

    Bernardo Silva – 6: The Manchester City winger was given 20 minutes to make up for a dull start to the World Cup. Didn’t really get involved.

    Joao Moutinho – N/A: Was well enough to see out the final moments.

    Goncalo Guedes – N/A: Head coach Fernando Santos threw forward on in final throes to see down clock.

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