Portugal vs. Serbia: Score, Grades and Reaction from Euro 2016 Qualifier

Portugal comfortably beat Serbia by a 2-1 score in Lisbon in a Euro 2016 group qualifying match on Sunday night.

A header from Fabio Coentrao was enough for the home side to take the points and break Serbian hearts.

Portugal led off with the former Manchester United wing pairing of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, while Serbia relied on their Premier League attackers, Lazar Markovic and Dusan Tadic.

BT Sport's Andy Brassell named the line-ups just before kick-off:

The crowd was in full voice at the start of the match, with Portugal desperate for the win to propel them up the group standings.

As expected, the early focus was very much on Ronaldo, with the Serbians paying the Real Madrid superstar special attention.

It appeared Serbia was happy to soak up pressure and play a fast counter-attacking game. But their game plan was shot to pieces in the 10th minute, when Portugal grabbed the lead.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Veteran defender Ricardo Carvalho headed the ball into the net in expert fashion after an inviting cross from Coentrao.

Squawka noted the centre-back's international scoring record:

The Portuguese were very much in control after taking the lead, but they soon lost their goalscorer, as Carvalho had to be substituted due to an injury. 

But Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho soon began to run the show, and they always looked dangerous when in the final third. Both players had shots at goal, although neither had the accuracy to double the scoreline. 

The game drifted towards the half-time whistle, with Serbia slowly finding their feet after falling behind early in the contest.

Brassell commented on the game at half-time and was mildly satisfied with proceedings, while football blog Serbian Football was unhappy at the effort of the away side:

The second half began much as the first had ended, with Portugal fully in command of the ball. But Serbia showed signs of improvement in the first 10 minutes of the second period, with Anderlecht's Aleksandar Mitrovic going close.

And then the shock arrived, as the visitors pulled the match level from a spectacular strike by Nemanja Matic.

The Chelsea midfielder peeled away to the far post and acrobatically smashed a scissor kick past the Portugal goalkeeper.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

But Serbian joy quickly turned to tears as the home side wrestled back the lead to go 2-1 ahead.

Just two minutes after Matic's equaliser, Coentrao met a low cross at the far post, and he had a simple tap-in to claim his goal.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of Serbia, and they did not look capable of achieving a second equaliser.

Nani saw his deflected effort sail just over Serbia's crossbar late in the match, but Portugal seemed content to take the maximum points without expending more energy. 

The home side popped the ball around in comfort, and Serbia appeared to have resigned themselves to defeat long before the final whistle. 

The game ended 2-1 with Serbia despondent until the last kick of the game.

Selected Player Ratings

Cristiano Ronaldo: C

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

The Ballon d'Or holder had a quiet night by his lofty standards, as he was heavily marked by Serbia and kicked into the air on many occasions. 

Fabio Coentrao: B

A strong performance by the wide man, grabbing an assist and the winning goal. His night was slightly sullied, having to exit the pitch with injury in the 77th minute. 

Nemanja Matic: C

Not a vintage performance by Jose Mourinho's midfield heartbeat, but Matic's goal will be remembered for many years.

Post-Match Reaction

To follow.