Those whose pitchforks pointed in Steve Clarke's direction could hardly have enjoyed it. There was no unwanted story, no fifth defeat in a row. Although there was one win in 16 games, the attitude of the hosts on Glasgow's south side showed that they were fully committed to their coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo was denied his 134th international goal. In fact, he never really felt like collecting it. Scotland will greatly appreciate the small step taken here. Not only did they compete in a form that has made this team so successful overall, but they also had a level of organization that is largely due to effective coaching. Clarke's critics should take note. Ronaldo left the field excited.

Ronaldo mania had gripped Paisley – where Portugal trained on Monday – and their hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond. Ronaldo seemed content to accommodate the crowds.

The sight of Scottish youngsters wearing Ronaldo jerseys at Hampden Park underlined the theory that this was no ordinary game. The 39-year-old had never played at the venue before; The Nations League allowed him to follow in the footsteps of Pelé, Maradona, Puskas and Beckenbauer and step onto the Hampden pitch.

Roberto Martínez spoke of managing Ronaldo's minutes before this game, but chose him to spearhead the Portuguese attack. If the Scots hadn't needed an uptick so badly, they would have appreciated the moment.

Another former Manchester United player should have scored the opening goal within four minutes. Instead, Scott McTominay placed a free header from an Andy Robertson cross straight into the hands of Diogo Costa. It felt like an opportunity Scotland could ill afford to miss.

Scotland's problem in the first half hour was allowing more free kicks than would normally be healthy within 30 meters of their own goal. But the visitors were wasteful until Craig Gordon was forced into action after a poor set piece from Nuno Mendes.

This had quickly become a delicate, close affair. Hampden had to laugh when Ronaldo and Mendes botched another free kick between them; It was such an evening.

McTominay's chance proved to be the only clear chance in the first third. Despite Portugal's possession dominance, Scotland took note of Ronaldo dropping deeper and deeper to influence the game.

The applause at the half-time whistle was in response to another encouraging 45 Scottish minutes in a Nations League season that has delivered poor results in terms of results.

Ronaldo's header went past Gordon's crossbar two minutes into the second half after the Portugal captain met Diogo Jota's cross. Francisco Conceição's shot suffered the same fate. Martínez had obviously used the break to make it clear to his team that they had to be more creative. Scotland have featured in this film before – several times recently – and had to be wary of capitulating after the break.

The sight of Bruno Fernandes hitting a corner against the near post and out of bounds was the trigger for Martínez to make the switch. Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão and Ruben Neves joined the fight. Ronaldo, who was not particularly effective beyond the accusations against the referee, was spared. Portugal hoped that its talisman would return to the international type.

With 20 minutes to go, Portugal found themselves effectively in the Scottish half. Clarke had called on Ryan Gauld and Lewis Morgan to provide renewed energy in the final third, but this was all about resilience. And of course the question of whether Portugal could continue so bluntly.

Scotland almost showed Ronaldo and Co. how it's done. Anthony Ralston's cross narrowly evaded the marauding McTominay. Portugal emerged from the resulting mess. Ronaldo's next action was to fire a shot wide, with Scotland vainly claiming he had controlled the ball.

Rúben Dias's strong complaints – Portugal wanted a corner that wasn't awarded – were an expression of growing frustration. Gordon stepped up with a wonderful save that prevented Fernandes from scoring the opener three minutes from time after work from Leão. The Tartan Army breathed.

They announced the full-time employment of Clarke and his exhausted players. It's just a point; The way it was accomplished just felt extremely significant.