Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was crucial yet again for Portugal, this time as they came from behind to beat Germany and book their spot in the Nations League final.
Germany took the lead moments after the break, as Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz headed past Diogo Costa.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez then turned to his bench and made three changes, one of which saw Francisco Conceicao come on. Martinez’s substitutions worked a treat.
Conceicao drew the Selecao level with a beautiful long-range curling effort. This jolted Portugal back into life and they went on to take the lead just five minutes later, with Cristiano Ronaldo tapping in a good cross from Nuno Mendes.
It was a deserved victory for Portugal, who dominated most of the game. They started well, with Ronaldo getting on the end of a couple of chances, but he couldn’t quite find the finishing touch.
Fernandes found himself in a number of promising positions and was one of Portugal’s most dangerous players. He came close to scoring but his powerful shot just flew wide.
The United skipper played a key role in Portugal’s winning goal, as he delivered the ball into Mendes’ path with the most delicate of passes, inviting the Paris Saint-Germain defender to square it to Ronaldo.
During the time he was on the pitch, Fernandes found his teammates with 31 of the 41 passes he attempted. Three of these were key passes.
He connected with just one of the six crosses he aimed and one of the two long balls he pinged. Fernandes completed one of the two dribbles he embarked on.
The 30-year-old playmaker was a monster defensively, winning seven of the eight ground duels he delved into.
He also made one clearance and put in three tackles.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Spain will face either Spain or France in Sunday’s final. Spain and France meet on Thursday at MHPArena in Germany.
Featured image Alex Grimm via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
