1 assist, 100% long balls: United veteran puts on a passing clinic in final World Cup warm-up victory

Manchester United had two players in action for Portugal last night. Portugal In recent years, Manchester United have had a strong connection with players from Portugal and both Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are likely to play a major role for the nation in the upcoming World Cup. Former Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo is also likely to play a significant part in any success the Portuguese will have. As one of the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal played their final warm-up match, securing a 2-1 win over Nigeria. Diogo Dalot The full-back played 45 minutes in the warm-up match and grabbed an assist for the opening goal. He received the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty area before cutting back onto his right foot. Dalot then teed up Pedro Neto, who produced a smart finish to give Portugal the lead. Dalot also made one key pass and completed 89% of his passes in his 45 minutes on the pitch. He also completed 100% of his long balls and made one interception. He was not required to compete in a ground or aerial duel during his time on the field. Bruno Fernandes Fernandes is usually the catalyst for anything Manchester United or Portugal do well, but he had a surprisingly quiet match. He created one big chance and made two key passes in the match. Fernandes completed 79% of his passes and had one shot on target. He also worked hard for his side, winning two out of three duels, as he so frequently does. Portugal’s attention will now turn to their opening group match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 17th June at 18:00 BST. Diogo Dalot stats vs Nigeria StatValue Goals0 Assists1 Def. contributions1 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions1 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries6 Ground duels (won)0 (0) Dribbled past0 Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes24/27 (89%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)9/12 (75%) Passes in own half (acc.)15/15 (100%) Long balls (accurate)2/2 (100%) Touches34 Unsuccessful touches2 Dribbles (successful)0 (0) Possession lost6 Total carrying distance50.3 m Carries3 Progressive carries1 Total progression43.1 m Progressive carrying distance29.9 m Longest progressive carry28 m Total shots0 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Offsides0 Featured image by Alex Livesey/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Latest Top Stories… Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.