Euro 2024 is edging ever closer and for Bruno Fernandes, Tuesday night was a chance to get back into the groove with Portugal.
Ahead of a summer packed with football, Bruno Fernandes was back in action after getting a week and a bit off following Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph.
Heading into the Euros, Portugal are among the favourites and many United fans will have eyes firmly watching Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, but Portugal will be watched for other reasons too.
Joao Neves and Goncalo Inacio are two players linked with a move to Manchester United in recent days and therefore we’ll all be scouting them throughout the Euros.
On Tuesday night however, Portugal was in action for a friendly and here’s how the press in Portugal were reacting to Fernandes’ performance.
How the Portuguese press reacted to Bruno Fernandes’ display for Portugal
Tuesday night brought an exciting 4-2 win for Portugal and in the win, as he so often does, Fernandes was among the star performers.
The United captain scored a brace, which means in his last 12 games for Portugal, he’s contributed a whopping nine goals and eight assists.
The official Portuguese Selecao X page started the praise by labelling him as “Bruno the Magnificent” after he bagged his first goal.
Portuguese outlet Bola Na Rede then gave a brilliant review of his performance: “He jumped from the bench at halftime, but he has to enter this list. At 55′, following a beautiful ball exchange of the Portuguese players, No. 8 signed an authentic masterpiece with a fantastic shot from outside the area. Goal of the night in Alvalade. The ball calms down and smiles whenever it touches the feet of the captain of United, incredible. Not happy with the goal, he [scored a second] thirty minutes later, closing the scorer of the match. Those who saw the first part could think ‘Where is Bruno Fernandes placed on this 11?’, the answer is given.”
Ge Globo also praised the United star, explaining that his contributions were the deciding factor in the game: “Bruno Fernandes leaves the bench to decide the victory of the Portuguese national team”.
The outlet Portugoal also liked what Fernandes showed, as its review praised his two goals: “[Francisco] Conceição providing two assists for Bruno Fernandes with simple sideways passes, the first goal a terrific shot into the top corner, the second a lethal low finish.”
Mais Futebol commented on Fernandes as well: “Bruno Fernandes lifted the stadium, with a shot placed from outside the area, taking the ball to the angle. A great goal to end one of the best moves of this game, with the ball passing through almost the entire team, until reaching Francisco Conceição who, in the area, delayed for the spectacular shot of the Manchester United player.
Finally, Publico named Fernandes among four others who were positive from the game: “Bruno Fernandes, João Neves, Vitinha and Palhinha all leave with a positive note.”
How Bruno Fernandes actually played against Finland
It’s no surprise when Fernandes performs excellently and we’ve seen him in a particularly impressive vein of form lately, with the final few months of the season being his best.
Against Finland, he continued where he left off, scoring twice and earning a 9.0 match rating from FotMob.
Coming off the bench at half-time, Fernandes wasted no time reminding people that he is Portugal’s best and created two chances alongside his goals.
He completed an impressive 46/50 passes – 92 per cent – while also winning two duels which highlights his importance across the pitch.
Fernandes is due to play a pivotal part in anything good Portugal achieve this summer, and we cannot wait to see him in action.
Diogo Dalot also impresses for Portugal
While Fernandes is hard to look past, a second United player was shining bright, that being Dalot.
Like Fernandes, he emerged at halftime and achieved a 7.6-match rating for his efforts in the game, as per FotMob.
Dalot barely put a foot wrong, 32/32 passes and creating two chances for his teammates although they weren’t converted.
He also completed three dribbles and six passes into the final third. Dalot added three tackles and six duels won in an impressive cameo as he looks to earn his spot in the starting XI.