Ronaldo watches on as pitch invader is wiped out trying to reach the superstar

A pitch invader was stopped just before reaching Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Scotland in Lisbon on Sunday evening.

Ronaldo's presence in his home nation always draws huge crowds and thousands packed into the Benfica stadium to see the 39-year-old in action in the UEFA Nations League.

The legendary striker scored his 901st career goal after coming off the bench to bag a late winner, with one fan later running on the pitch in a bid to get near Ronaldo.

Several plucky Ronaldo supporters tried to get onto the pitch previously during Portugal's Euro 2024 clash against Turkey earlier in the summer which required multiple stewards to run onto the pitch at various times.

Clearly this fan hadn't learned the lesson experienced by others when they ran onto the field of play and coming within metres of Ronaldo before being wiped out by security personnel.

The individual initially failed with his first attempt when his pursuer slipped that came as Ronaldo led a Portugal attack with the hosts attempting to run the clock down in the encounter.

He was then reeled in by the recovering security guard who held on to the fan's clothing acrobatically while Ronaldo watched on having experienced this type of exchange before.

Portugal later got play back underway with a corner and later had their victory confirmed as the referee blew the whistle for full-time.

Speaking after the match, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez hailed his match-winner when explaining the decision to start Ronaldo on the substitutes bench.

'The question was whether Ronaldo played the first half and left or came in and finished the game. That was the decision,' said Martinez.

'He is an asset to the national team. When he comes in, if the scorer needs goals, Cris gives energy and a feeling to the fans, the stadium is different.

'If Cris leaves, it's the opposite and facilitates what the opponent would like to do when playing away from home in Portugal. But the important thing is the commitment of all the players.

'The players believe in what they can give or do for the National Team and are prepared for it. Cristiano, as captain, was exemplary,' he added.