Portugal vs. Austria: Score and Twitter Reaction from Euro 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a late penalty as Portugal were held to a scoreless draw in their Euro 2016 clash against Austria on Saturday night, leaving their chances of winning Group F in serious doubt.

Austria held out for 78 minutes before Martin Hinteregger hauled down Ronaldo in the penalty area, but the Portugal captain could only strike the base of the left post with his effort from 12 yards.

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Ronaldo's spot-kick attempt was the first missed penalty of this year's European Championships and perfectly summarised Portugal's tournament thus far, filled with so much promise but little by way of effect.

It was another limp night from Portugal and Ronaldo, with football writer Michiel Jongsma pointing him out as just one of the star names at Euro 2016 struggling to live up to expectations:

Manager Fernando Santos knew only a win would do for his side following the embarrassing 1-1 draw against Iceland last Tuesday, and Portugal started Saturday's assault by taking a firm grip of possession.

That being said, the Group F favourites had to be wary of growing complacent even if momentum was on their side, considering that was the theme for their Icelandic disappointment.

The forward pairing of Ronaldo and Nani in particular took little time to enforce themselves in front of Austria goalkeeper Robert Almer's net.

And it was Nani who had the best of the early chances on the half-hour mark, when Austria's defence left him wide open before thudding his headed effort off the post, per Unibet:

Austria were struggling to mount any pressure in the Portuguese half, but when they did, it was the likes of Stefan Ilsanker and Marko Arnautovic pulling the strings.

For all their solidity at times, however, coach Marcel Koller's men also showed their senseless side, particularly when defender Hinteregger and stopper Almer got their wires crossed with Nani lying in wait, per Match of the Day:

The underdogs managed to keep their foes at bay until the halfway mark in a clash that had illustrated Portugal's profligacy more than Austria's rigidity as such.

Ronaldo had his chance to nudge Portugal ahead early in the second period with a free-kick from 35 yards out, but his attempt couldn't even get past Austria's wall, leading Bet365 to question his set-piece proficiency:

Time and again, it was Ronaldo applying the pressure on Almer's net, but the Austrian No. 1 grew in confidence and proved himself equal to anything Real Madrid's talisman had to throw in his direction.

Ronaldo's status of course gives him a certain bargaining power over set pieces at club and international level, although the BBC's John Bennett noted his worsening record meant change was needed:

Julian Baumgartlinger was fortunate not to be booked after he was involved in a series of feisty challenges, but he was one of Austria's inspirations in a second-half fight back that actually saw them look the better team for a period.

All Austria's hard work appeared to be reduced to rubble when Hinteregger barrelled Ronaldo to the floor in his box, but Ronaldo could only hit the woodwork with the resulting penalty. 

Match of the Day's Gary Lineker thought he could explain why:

Portugal's frustrations grew even more when Ronaldo put the ball in the back of the net after 85 minutes only to be pulled back for offside, and rightly so after he strayed yards beyond the last defender.

In the end, Austria were worthy of their point, and as impressive as it was to see Koller's men withstand the onslaught, this was as much an exercise in how to miss the target from their opponents. According to WhoScored.com, Santos' side finished with 13 attempts on goal compared to Austria's two.

Following on from Hungary's 1-1 draw against Iceland earlier on Saturday, Portugal need to defeat the Hungarians in their Group F decider next Wednesday if they're to top the pool.

Austria can still progress to the knockout stages if they manage to defeat Iceland on the same day, but they'll also be relying on a hint of fortune if they're to advance as one of the best third-placed finishers.

Post-Match Reaction

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Ronaldo was difficult to console following the draw against Iceland in midweek, and manager Santos wasn't any more approachable in the wake of yet another disappointment for Portugal on Saturday.

It was of little surprise to see questions of Ronaldo's shortcomings dominate the post-match press conference, but according to Bleacher Report's Peter Hall, Santos refused to oblige reporters:

Omnisport's Dom Farrell added that questions relating to fellow charge Nani were also off the table:

Austria coach Koller had more reason to be upbeat after seeing his side clinch their first point of the tournament, and the media quizzed him on his decision to haul star man David Alaba off after 65 minutes:

Alaba wasn't working out in an attacking midfield role, and it's possible fans might see the Bayern Munich marvel retract into a more natural, deep-lying role for the group-defining clash against Iceland on Wednesday.

Santos and Ronaldo, meanwhile, are under immense pressure to ensure things improve in the showdown with current Group F leaders Hungary, with a slim chance of topping the pool still theirs.