Bruno Fernandes produced a midfield masterclass as he inspired Portugal to a 9-0 win over Luxembourg in their Euro 2024 qualifier.
On Monday night, Portugal were in rampant mood as they continued their 100% record thanks to goals from Fernandes, Joao Felix, Ricardo Horta, Diogo Jota(2), Goncalo Ramos(2) and Goncalo Inacio(2).
During what was a faultless performance, Manchester United captain Fernandes stole the show as he scored once whilst also providing three assists, including an outrageous outside-of-the-boot cross. You can watch the footage below.
The stunning assist came in the 12th minute as he managed to play the ball perfectly onto the head of defender Inacio.
Fernandes recorded his second assist of the match just before halftime as he supplied Inacio again.
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In the second half, Fernandes turned provider for Jota to make it 5-0 before he netted his side’s eighth goal.
It has been a brilliant international break for Fernandes after he scored the winner in their clash against Slovakia last Friday.
As a result of the win, Portugal sit top of Group J with 18 points, five points ahead of second-placed Slovakia.
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After the match, manager Roberto Martinez spoke about the importance of other players stepping up in the absence of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo missed the match against Luxembourg after his yellow card against Slovakia led to a one match suspension.
He said: “Gonçalo Ramos showed today what he can do, and Diogo Jota did the same.
“We need players who have the level to win games. The group is special. We don’t need to compare them. Cristiano is important, but our team is ready to win without him.”
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Fernandes will now turn his attention back to United as the Premier League returns this weekend.
Erik ten Hag’s men will take on Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, Football, Portugal, Euro 2024
Marcus Chan