Tunisia Hold Cristiano Ronaldo-Less Portugal to 2-2 Draw in Friendly

European champions Portugal, without Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, were unable to grab the win in an international friendly against Tunisia on Monday. The future World Cup opponents of England and Belgium earned an impressive 2-2 draw.

Adrien Silva and Joao Mario gave the Portuguese a two-goal lead, but Tunisia hit back through Anice Badri and Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, shocking the European giants.

Here are the key takeaways from this friendly.

Portugal's Depth a Worry ahead of World Cup

This is not the same Portugal side that won the European championship two years ago. There's no Renato Sanches running the show in midfield, Nani isn't in the squad to provide an attacking spark, Andre Gomes and Ruben Neves both aren't there to anchor things, and Eder, who scored the winner against France in the final in 2016, is also out.

With Ronaldo rested on Monday, Silva and Ricardo Quaresma were tasked with creating things in the attacking third, and both had good outings. But further back, Mario had his hands too full too often, and some of the back-ups did not impress against a limited Tunisia side.

As noted by Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen, things were far from perfect:

Portugal's depth was a huge reason for their success in France two years ago, and the squad set to take part in the World Cup has fewer options. That doesn't mean their campaign is doomed from the start―any team that has Ronaldo will have a chance―but the European champions are just one key injury away from disaster, unlike some of their biggest rivals.

Spain, Germany and France could all survive multiple key injuries, and Portugal simply can't.

Impressive Dias Deserves Belgium Start

Ruben Dias may just be 21 years old, but the Benfica youngster was one of the standouts on Monday, playing alongside longtime Portugal defender Pepe.

Hagen came away impressed with Dias, and rightly so:

It's too early to name the youngster a certain starter in Russia, as Tunisia hardly boast world-class talent up front. Saturday's friendly in Brussels against Belgium will be a much sterner test, and Dias should start there too, as he tries to earn his spot the hard way.

Tunisia Will Make Things Interesting in Group G

World Cup Group G should be a straight-forward affair, with European teams England and Belgium expected to advance at the expense of Panama and Tunisia. Those teams will have kept a close eye on Monday's contest and saw a confident and solid team not afraid to take chances.

Saif-Eddine Khaoui had several chances to give his team the lead before Silva struck, and Badri's goal came after a well-organised team move. If not for some poor marking and bad clearances, the first half could have played out a lot differently. Ben Youssef's equaliser was deserved as well.

Tunisia clearly struggle with crosses and an aerial assault, a recipe for disaster against physical teams like Belgium―who thrive with Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini―and England. Harry Kane is one of the best in the Premier League at heading the ball.

But when the ball is on the ground, the Carthage Eagles can hold their own, and they're not afraid to move forward. Neutral fans will be glad about that―it beats watching Tunisia sit back and do nothing but defend against both England and Belgium.

What's Next?

Portugal face a massive test in Belgium on Saturday, while Tunisia play Turkey on Friday.