Portugal suffered a 2-1 defeat against South Korea in dramatic fashion as Paulo Bento’s side secured an injury-time winner against Cristiano Ronaldo and co. to take them through to the knockouts. Portugal made sure they had scored in each of their last nine World Cup matches when Ricardo Horta put them ahead after just five minutes of play but an equalizer from Young-Gwon Kim levelled the scores before the break. Head coach Fernando Santos had made six changes heading into the game after they had already secured qualification into the knockouts and despite the defeat they still managed to top Group H. South Korea will steal all the headlines, however, as their late goal managed to put them through to the round of 16. So, here’s our Portugal player ratings for their defeat against South Korea.
Portugal (4-3-3):
Diogo Costa – 6
Made a good save to deny a header following a Heung-Min Son free kick in the first half. Displayed some good distribution with long balls from the back, looking to catch South Korea’s high line. Made a decent stop to deny In-Beom Hwang midway through the second half. Couldn’t do too much about the goals.
Diogo Dalot – 7.5
Provided the assist for the opener, advancing well down the right flank before cutting the ball back for Horta. Dealt with the threat from Son well early on and made an impact going forward a number of times in the first half. Less of an impact on the game in the second half.
Pepe – 6.5
The veteran defender played a fantastic ball from deep into Diogo Dalot in the build-up to the opening goal. Remains a stalwart at the heart of the defense for Portugal.
Antonio Silva – 5
Lost a number of his duels both on the ground and in the air. Struggled a little at times here.
Joao Cancelo – 6.5
Made a couple of interceptions and threatened down the left flank at times.
Ruben Neves – 6.5
Sat deep, looking to control the tempo. Looked better in the second half, playing a few more impactful passes. Accurate in possession as ever.
Matheus Nunes – 5
Struggled to impact the game at all before he was benched in the second half.
Vitinha – 7.5
Intricate at points and played a couple of tidy passes. Forced Seung-Gyu Kim into a decent stop at the end of the first half with a shot from outside the box. Looked assured in possession with tidy footwork.
Joao Mario – 6
Struggled to impact the game much but didn’t make any errors.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 4
Made a couple of dangerous runs in and around the South Korea box but did turn his back on the ball as it fell to Young-Gwon Kim for the equalizer. Not a good day at the office for Ronaldo here.
Ricardo Horta – 6.5
Opened the scoring early on for Portugal, finishing from close range. However, was extremely quiet afterwards.