Portugal held to another frustrating draw in Lisbon

Portugal followed up their home stalemate with Ukraine with another draw against Serbia on another frustrating night in Lisbon.

Portugal saw the vast majority of the ball and amassed a total of 34 shots with 70% of the possession, but failed to make it count as they suffered back-to-back draws in their Euro 2020 qualifiers.

And it was Serbia that struck first, finding the back of the net, Rui Patricio giving away a penalty that Dusan Tadic converted.

Serbia’s goalkeeper, in inspired form, kept out two strong efforts from Portugal, before talisman Cristiano Ronaldo then went off injured halfway through the first half.

Portugal continued to dominate without Ronaldo though, and it was Danilo Pereira who eventually levelled up the game with a delightful long-range effort to send Portugal into half time level.

Portugal continued to display their dominance in the second half, and thought they had earned a penalty towards the end of the game when the referee pointed to the spot for a handball, but upon consultation with the linesman, he overturned his decision.

After the game, Fernando Santos revealed that the referee apologised for the decision, although it counts for very little for Santos and his side.

The draw means Portugal sit 3rd in group B, behind Ukraine on four points and Luxembourg on 3.