Portugal player ratings after a comfortable victory versus Sweden

Another win and another clean sheet ensures Portugal remain in contention to defend their UEFA Nations League crown.

Portugal ended up defeating Sweden 3-0 in Lisbon in their latest outing, with Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota getting on the scoresheet to take Portugal up to 10 points from 4 games.

Here, we look at how each player got on in their third match in just over a week, with plenty of players impressing in Sporting’s Alvalade stadium.

Rui Patricio - 8

Another top display from the Wolves shot-stopper - and this time, he actually had a fair bit of work to do. You may have expected France and Spain to give him a bigger test between the Portugal goalposts, but Sweden gave him his toughest outing of the week. He matched everything thrown his way though, pulling off two or three very strong saves. I imagine some may criticise him for failing to catch the first effort, an accurate looping header early in the second half, but that would be beyond harsh. Most goalkeepers would have acrobatically touched it over the bar or round the post - one for the cameras, you could say, earning plaudits for what looks like a stunning save when it actually ends up giving up a corner. Patricio, however, very nearly caught the ball, and when he overstretched slightly too much and ended up dropping it, was quick to get up and recover, winning a freekick in the process. He then did brilliantly only a little later to get down low and fast to tip an excellent Claesson long-range effort round the post. Excellent display from the reliable number one.

Joao Cancelo - 8

Deserves a very high rating for his sensational assist alone. Wonderful cross into the box from almost the halfway line into Diogo Jota, inch perfect and putting the chance on a plate for the Liverpool forward. It wasn’t the only excellent ball whipped into the box by the Manchester City fullback either, who was regularly looking to get forward on the overlap and join the attack, while he did a good job defensively too, working hard and making a couple of big interceptions, one in the air with a good header to stop a Sweden attack. Very good display from Cancelo.

Pepe - 9

Pepe is 37, by the way. Just thought I would slip that in there to illustrate what a truly phenomenal athlete the Porto defender really is. Yet again a tremendous display from the veteran centreback to help keep Portugal’s clean sheet intact and guide his side to victory. The weight of carrying the armband in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo did not seem to hold him back, and instead he pulled off multiple excellent headed clearances to stop a physical Swedish side from threatening Patricio’s goal with more regularity. There was one occasion early on when his headed clearance was misguided and fell perfectly to a Swedish player, which could have certainly resulted in the away side taking the lead on the night, but otherwise a pretty much immaculate defensive display from Pepe, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to either header clear or intercept and break up an attacking move. He was also crucial in Portugal’s third goal, winning back possession to launch a counter-attack, which ultimately led to Diogo Jota scoring.

Ruben Dias - 8

It was a very strong showing from Pepe’s centreback partner too, which shows just how good Pepe must have been to have overshadowed Ruben Dias in the heart of defence. The relationship between this pair is perfect, and they at times look entirely impenetrable. Three or four massive headers out of the box showed that he too had excellent command of the area and stopped route one style Swedish efforts at source. Not quite as influential as Pepe, but did everything required.

Raphael Guerreiro - 6

This is perhaps a little harsh, but defensively Guerreiro did not have a good game today. Though going forwards he always looked lively and a threat on the overlap, Sweden had a lot of success attacking down their right flank because of Guerreiro’s defensive short-comings. He gave the ball away just before half time, much in the same way he did versus France a few days earlier, and it could have been very costly. It wasn’t the only time he was caught out either, and was found too far up the pitch and unable to recover on a couple of other occasions too. Portugal went into a more defensive structure for the second half so it wasn’t as much of an issue then, but the first half was slightly concerning.

Danilo Pereira - 8

Another excellent display from PSG’s new man. Made some huge interceptions and tackles to the relief of the Portuguese backline who he protected very well indeed. His presence also gave William Carvalho more of a license to roam and play some of his defence-splitting passes into the attacking third, while he also bailed out Guerreiro with a massive tackle to stop a truly dangerous Sweden attack in the first half. He worked hard and always looked to limit the threat of Swedish attacks to great effect. He was critical in Portugal keeping a clean sheet in this match, and the last.

William Carvalho - 9

What a phenomenal performance from a phenomenal player. There is, potentially, something of a misconception regarding William for some fans outside of Portugal. He is not simply a defensive midfielder. He has been, and could be, but he is far more than that, offering such composure on the ball, tremendous vision and the ability to carry the ball forwards with directness and purpose. He was, at times, Portugal’s most attacking player, serving that box to box role impeccably as he helped out both in attack and defence. In the opening 6 minutes of the game alone, he played 4 truly exquisite passes that helped forge some highly dangerous attacking moves for Portugal, and was almost the sole reason that Portugal looked so threatening early on. His wonderful turn before a delicate through-ball into Diogo Jota was just one example of William playing with the freedom that makes him such a top-class footballer. He was part of a lot of intricate link-up play, and made a few very successful dribbles forwards to lead a Portuguese attack, while he did also help out defensively too. His assist for Diogo Jota’s second goal was the least he deserved from the game, and he remains one of Portugal’s most important players. They are always a better team when he is on the field.

Bruno Fernandes - 8

Another accomplished game from the Manchester City man as his passing was yet again a prominent feature of Portugal’s game. He sprayed the ball about with good success, his excellent pass out wide to William Carvalho before drifting inside to then retrieve it and take on a long shot was a nice illustration of the ability in which he possesses and the style in which he plays. Also played a perfect through ball to Joao Felix which created a big goalscoring opportunity, but the Atletico Madrid man fired over. His passes were more accurate today, with fewer misplaced to gift possession to Sweden, while he worked hard for the team too, as he so often does. And his touch, control and pass into Diogo Jota to set up the first goal was top class.

Bernardo Silva - 8

Got his goal and finally looks like he’s returning to his best as he gets more game time and match fitness under his belt. A really well-taken effort to give Portugal the lead, and looked to be playing with a lot of confidence. His lovely little flick to shrug off a defender before delivering a good cross into the box was a good illustration of that, while he also showed good composure both in defence and attack.

Joao Felix - 6

It was a solid but unspectacular game for the Atletico Madrid man again. He worked hard and looked tomake things happen, but some just didn’t quite come off, and his bad miss in a one-on-one position perhaps illustrated that. He was dispossessed a couple of times and it did prevent a couple of promising attacking moves unfolding, while most of the attacking play did not run through him. He showed some good intricate play at times and neat first touches and dribbles, but he did not leave a significant impression on the game.

Diogo Jota - 10

You can’t really not give Diogo Jota a perfect score. From the very start, he looked up for this as he knew he had to step up in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo - and he did so perfectly. He always showed good intensity and worked hard to win the ball back and put pressure on the opposition, and that was only the beginning. He showed excellent confidence on the ball and was a real handful for the opposition defence every time he got on the ball thanks to his dribbling prowess. He was unselfish, but intelligent, to play in Bernardo Silva for the first goal when he quite easily could have gone for goal himself, while he showed good composure to score his first. It was a chance he was always expected to score, but with a couple of Swedish players around him, it was likely more difficult than it looked. But it was his second that was particularly impressive, weaving through the Swedish defence as if they weren’t there. A brilliant dribble and equally impressive finish as he earned Portugal victory.