Portugal player ratings against Sweden

Another victory for Portugal has seen them start their UEFA Nations League campaign in style, with two wins from two putting them in a healthy position to defend their crown.

But which players impressed yet again in a match that Portugal once again dominated - albeit thanks to Sweden being reduced to 10 men - and who has room for improvement?

Anthony Lopes - 6

It’s difficult to give Anthony Lopes a higher rating than 6 considering he had virtually nothing to do all game. Every cross into the box was dealt with splendidly by the two centrebacks in front of him, who yet again put on a dominant display in defence, while he only had to make one save - which was done in a rather theatrical manner. He also had one awkward moment when he nearly lost the ball with a slightly heavy touch. It could have been costly for Portugal, but he got away with it unscathed. Rui Patricio remains Portugal’s undisputed number one for his consistency and reliability.

Joao Cancelo - 8

It was another excellent game for the Portuguese right back, who played some nice intricate passes when combining with the likes of Bernardo Silva and Goncalo Guedes down the right-hand side, and his ball into Cristiano Ronaldo around half an hour into the game was exceptional, and very nearly resulted in a goal. He was also very assured defensively, and showed excellenet awareness as to when to push forwards, and when to be more cautious. Not quite as influential as he was in the previous match, but he is going a very long way towards locking down the starting right back berth for his country - and Ricardo Pereira faces a difficult task in reclaiming it.

Pepe - 9

He may be 37 now, but Pepe is still going very strong indeed for his country. He was a wall at the back yet again, shielding his goal with all his experience clearly on show. His positional awareness, added to his impeccable partnership with Ruben Dias, was critical, and he fully deserved the clean sheet as he headed every ball away and extinguished the Swedish attacks with relative ease. There was also one moment in the first half where he made a crucial standing tackle as the last man to prevent a huge goalscoring opportunity. Incredibly reliable.

Ruben Dias - 8

Just like Pepe, Ruben Dias was once more incredibly effective in defence for Portugal, also incredibly dominant in the air as every ball the physical Swedes knocked into the box was dealt with with relative ease, if not by Pepe then more often than not Ruben Dias. The future of Portugal’s defence looks to be in very good hands with Dias there, who has already earned a wealth of experience at both club and international level.

Raphel Guerreiro - 9

There was a spell not too long ago where Guerreiro looked like a bit of a liability. But, like in the match versus Croatia, Guerreiro was again a standout player for Portugal. Not only was he excellent going forwards, but defensively he was good too, clearing out balls played into the back post and marshalling his man very well to prevent dangerous crosses into the box. But it was going forwards that Guerreiro really did stand out. His skill down the left-hand side as he roamed forwards, added to his intricate play and passing ability, was extremely effective, and his exquisite cross into the box, which was turned onto the bar by Bruno Fernandes, was worthy of an assist. If he avoids further injury setbacks, Guerreiro can easily go on to become one of the very best left backs in world football.

Danilo Pereira - 10

Phenomenal display from Danilo Pereira who so often was the reason that Sweden, despite their first half possession, simply couldn’t make it count. Be it in the air or on the ground, Danilo put in a tremendous showing of defensive class, stifling many a Swedish attack before it got close to the Portuguese backline, and he covered a great deal of ground as his positioning and defensive awareness really led Portugal to their clean sheet. A rock in midfield, and for me, man of the match - well, almost…

Joao Moutinho - 7

An accomplished midfield performance for Joao Moutinho. Early on, his relentless pressing was quite extraordinary as he was almost playing as Portugal’s second striker in the defensive phase as he attempted to win back the ball high up the field. Really composed in possession too with his great passing ability, and his volley pass out wide to Ronaldo was impressive. Came off for Ruben Neves after Portugal’s second as Santos looked to see out the game with the clean sheet intact.

Bruno Fernandes - 9

Just a joy to watch almost every time he steps out onto the pitch. Yes, sometimes somewhat wasteful with his long-range shooting, and yes sometimes his ambitious passes don’t come off, but he is simply such a classy player and was integral for much of Portugal’s attacking endeavour. He set the tone of his performance early on with his brilliant tracking back to defend before winning back the ball and immediately bursting forwards. It didn’t result in anything with Joao Felix a little wasteful in that instance, but Fernandes continued to impress throughout his game, with his pressing on one occasion winning the ball back high up the pitch. In possession, his intricate passing was great, and played some very dangerous balls into the box, while his ball to Joao Felix ultimately led to Portugal’s second goal. He struck the crossbar too.

Bernardo Silva - 6

Actually very impressive in the brief time he got to be on the pitch before limping off injured. Showed good desire to win the ball with his tracking back, and carried the ball forwards very effectively with his trademark dribbling ability. Showed some great skill on the wing before delivering a very threatening cross that Pepe fell just short of latching onto to take the lead. Almost deserves a 7, though that he only play 22 minutes makes it difficult to justify.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 10

Just exceptional. A truly brilliant display from Portugal’s talisman. Portugal may not have looked as impressive a team with Ronaldo on the field, which is perhaps a discussion for another time, but with Ronaldo in the side, you just feel confident that Portugal are going to get the job done even if they don’t play all that well. And he stepped up exactly when his country needed him, as he so often does, to lead Portugal to victory with two exceptional goals. His freekick was exquisite - unstoppable - and was the perfect way to break the 100-goal barrier for his nation, while his second was just as good, a curling effort that drifted into the back of the net. There simply aren’t superlatives for this legend of the game.

Joao Felix - 8

A really good game for the young Portuguese, even if he didn’t get a goal to his name. He was busy, got around the pitch quite a lot, and produced some nice link-up play. He worked hard for the team both in defending from the front and when attacking, and so easily could have scored with his accurate low long shot that was bending towards the corner. The Atletico Madrid man has justified his place in the Portugal XI.

Substitutes

Goncalo Guedes - 7

Guedes always seems to step up for the national team and he didn’t let them down this time either, with some good passing and dribbling down the right side in place of Bernardo Silva. Closed down very well at times too, and managed to fill the massive void left behind by the injury to Bernardo Silva very effectively.

Ruben Neves - 6

Was brought on to help see out the match and did his job effectively.

Diogo Jota - 6

Had one bursting run towards the box. Tried to fire the ball across the box but was unable to do so, but recovered well to keep the attack alive, and it very nearly could have led to a goal.