All of the Portugal players on display scored goals as Roberto Martinez’s replacements came together to win Leipzig in a thrilling comeback.

It seemed for a very long time that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Portugal would have the night they wanted. Before Lukas Provod’s beautiful goal from outside the box gave the Czech Republic the lead against the flow of play, the Selecao captain had wasted two golden opportunities in the first half.

Ronaldo then had the misfortune of straying ever so slightly offside before hitting the post with a header that Diogo Jota nodded home after Portugal had been gifted an equaliser by a farcical and entirely avoidable own goal from Robin Hrnac (his custodian Jindrich Stanek had inexplicably pushed a weak downward header into a crowded six-yard box).

But two substitutes combined to score the game’s winning goal as injury time approached, with Francisco Conceicao heading in Pedro Neto’s deflected cross to give an underperforming Portugal and a misfiring Ronaldo an undeserved 2-1 triumph.

Diego Costa, Goalkeeper & Defence (6/10):

Provod’s excellent strike defeated them and left them with nothing to do but pluck the ball out of the goal.

Ruben Dias (score of 6/10):

He was so unperturbed by the Czech assault that he concentrated solely on attacking. At one point, he even stepped over a tremendous cross.

Pepe (6/10):

The 41-year-old was given an easy ride by Dias and Mendes, so his age wasn’t really a concern, but he did win plenty of possession for Portugal.

Nuno Mendes (7 out of 10):

Among the few outstanding talents from Portugal. The adaptable Paris Saint-Germain defender was deeply involved from the start, even before his header from the back of the net forced an equaliser.

Diogo Dalot, midfield (4/10):

Despite having a solid season finale for Manchester United, he was unable to provide adequate penetration down the right wing. Not surprisingly, pulled off just after the hour.

Fernandes, Bruno (7/10):

Even though he wasn’t at his best, he still had considerably more imagination and inventiveness than many of his teammates. He played Ronaldo a pass during the first half that required a successful outcome.

Vitinha (7/10):

gave Portugal the foundation they needed to control possession, while also producing a few excellent opportunities and putting a respectable long-range shot on goal against Stanek.

Joscelo (5 out of 10):

Despite having a lot of possession and being an offensive player, he didn’t really contribute much from the left side of the field in the wing-back role in this team.

Bernardo Silva’s attack (5/10):

Buzzed about the box in his usual intimidating way, but for once, his last ball wasn’t very good. Portugal required more from a player with his calibre.

Ronaldo Cristiano (5/10):

The 39-year-old was without a doubt his team’s greatest threat the entire time, even though he may not put in a lot of work. His role is to be the centre of attention for the assault. But before squandering Bruno’s magnificent through-ball, he botched an early header that you would have expected him to bury.

Rafael Leao (4/10):

A true spark plug in the first quarter of the match, his pace and dribbling abilities caused all kinds of issues, but he did not do much after that, other than receiving a booking and being substituted in the 63rd minute.

Goalkeeper Diogo Jota and the Subs (5/10):

replaced Leao as soon as the Czechs scored, and although he felt he had scored the goal, his header was disallowed because Ronaldo was not in the area.

Inacio Goncalo (5/10):

took Dalot’s place in the 63rd minute, but he had little effect on the outcome.

Semedo Nelson (N/A):

introduced after the fact.

Pedro Neto (7/10):

just entered the game in the last minute of regulation time, but he had an instant impact—his break down the left wing set up the winner.

Conceicao Francisco (6/10):

won the match for Portugal with a tap-in during injury time.

6/10 Roberto Martinez:

The Spaniard should be commended for responding to his team’s goal surrender by making several wise replacements, one of which turned the tide of the match in his team’s favour. However, the late drama won’t change the fact that Portugal gave a bad performance for sixty minutes. It won’t stop others from questioning if the former Belgium manager is the perfect person to bring out the most in this outstanding bunch of players.