Celtic Star Tony Ralston 'Ended Up In The Pits' vs Portugal

Scotland were incredibly close to picking up an unexpected point away in Portugal on Sunday evening, before Cristiano Ronaldo 's 901st senior goal throughout his career spoiled a Tartan Army party on the streets of Lisbon - and after the heartbreaking loss, Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston has come under criticism from outlets across the two countries after his torrid time against AC Milan star Rafael Leao. Scott McTominay's header put Steve Clarke's men ahead inside 10 minutes, and after holding out until the halfway mark, it was a Bruno Fernandes long shot that finally undid goalkeeper Angus Gunn - before Ronaldo did what he does best by coming up with the decisive moment with just seconds remaining on the clock. But despite their battling performance, Ralston hasn't emerged with too much praise - with one outlet stating that he 'ended up in the pits'.

Reports: Ralston Ended Up 'In The Pits' vs Portugal Beginning with Portuguese outlet Zero Zero, the Iberian website laid the criticism on Ralston thick - calling him the 'most exposed' player in Scotland's team and stating that he 'ended up in the pits' during the tough task of facing Leao. They wrote: "4/10 - By far the most exposed player in the Scottish team, he struggled early on to stop Rafael Leão's changes of speed. He ended up in the pits countless times and resisted a yellow card until the 85th minute.



It's true that it's not easy to counter the Portuguese power, but he was clearly below the level of his teammates. Angus Gunn ended up badly beaten for Bruno Fernandes' goal, but he sealed the British goal on numerous occasions." Scottish publications were slightly easier on the Celtic man, though there were still hints that the Bellshill-born defender struggled on the night against the AC Milan supremo.

The Scotsman brandished their overview , stating: "The Celtic right-back really had his work cut out against a quality winger as he struggled to handle the pace and trickery of AC Milan's Rafael Leao. Was exposed at times but avoided the type of costly errors that have blighted his recent international performances and mostly stuck to his task well." Lack of Celtic Game Time Could Hurt Ralston Ralston isn't even Celtic's first-choice right-back, and that won't help him.

Behind Alistair Johnston in the pecking order, Ralston made just six starts in the Scottish Premiership last season and 14 the season before - which will ultimately hinder his performances. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Ralston scored his only Scotland goal vs Armenia in a 2-0 win back in June 2022. Having spent loan spells at Dundee United, St Johnstone and Queen's Park, Ralston only really had a solid run of games at Celtic in the 2021-22 season - Ange Postecoglou's debut campaign - before Johnston arrived to take his place.

That being said, 16 appearances for Celtic in European competitions and 14 outings for Scotland is enough experience to make an impact and at the age of just 25, Ralston still has room to improve; though minutes will likely be halted once Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson come back from long-term injuries. Rangers have suffered yet another poor start to life in the Scottish Premiership and criticism is abound for Philippe Clement's men Statistics courtesy of WhoScored . Correct as of 09-09-24.

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