Portugal and Spain saw out a goalless draw in Lisbon tonight in an international friendly, and there was good representation in the game for Wolves.
Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves all started for the hosts, while Adama Traore began on the bench for Luis Enrique’s side but was introduced on 61 minutes for his debut – much to the dismay of the Mali FA, no doubt.
Big things were expected of this game – the sides met at the 2018 World Cup, of course, and produced one of the most thrilling matches of the whole tournament.
It wasn’t the worst 0-0 ever, with Portugal striking the bar twice and almost nicking a 1-0 victory at the death through Joao Felix, and Spain playing some nice stuff, but no goals will see the game become quickly forgotten about.
But it was good for some of the Wolves boys to get a run out and crucially for Nuno Espirito Santo, there were no injuries. Hopefully no unwanted news filters through on that front.
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Here’s how each player rated…
Rui Patricio (7) – Wolves’ number one was solid between the sticks. He had several saves to make from the likes of Rodrigo and Dani Olmo, and the 32-year-old made everything look very easy.
He certainly played his part in Portugal’s clean sheet.
Joao Moutinho (5) – He only played the first half, but Spain’s dominance of the ball meant Moutinho was a bit of a passenger in all honesty.
Hopefully the maestro will see more of the ball in the upcoming games against France and Sweden, and get some momentum going ahead of his return to Molineux.
Ruben Neves (6) – Neves fared a little better than his midfield partner, but then, he did get 45 minutes more than his midfield partner.
The star worked very hard in the engine room, and kept the ball rolling nicely, as he does. He showed good defensive discipline to contain Spain’s midfielders.
Adama Traore (7) – He only got around half an hour, but Adama made a great impression on his international debut.
For all of Spain’s passing, there was never much incisiveness in the final third.
Adama provided a real threat on the right wing after coming on; his run to the byline and cross for Dani Olmo a particularly explosive highlight.
Nelson Semedo (5) – He didn’t have long to make an impression, but he was deployed at left-back and had the unenviable task of marking Traore.
He looked a little shaky defensively, but showed glimpses of his quality when Portugal were attacking.
Daniel Podence (N/A) – Podence will have to wait another day for his debut after missing out on a place on the bench.