Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes played a key role again, this time for Portugal as they edged a pulsating Sunday evening encounter with Denmark to reach the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Fernandes’ teammate, Patrick Dorgu, gifted Portugal an early penalty after he was judged to have brought down Cristiano Ronaldo inside the area. However, Ronaldo was thwarted from the spot-kick by Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who got down low to his left.
Undeterred by the setback, Portugal kept pushing and eventually got their lead as Fulham’s Joachim Andersen headed into the back of his own from a Fernandes corner-kick delivery.
Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offside on the stroke of half-time before Rasmus Kristensen rose the highest at the back-post to make it 1-1 on the night and restore Denmark’s aggregate advantage. Ronaldo made amends in the 72nd minute, reacting quickly to turn in a powerful Bruno Fernandes shot that had struck the post from a tight angle.
However, Denmark refused to be subdued and seemed on course to advance in normal time when Christian Eriksen slotted home Dorgu’s low cross. Francisco Trincao’s introduction changed the game for the Selecao. The Sporting CP winger beat Schmeichel with a powerful shot from outside the box in the 86th minute before netting his second of the game early in the first half of extra time. Paris Saint Germain’s Goncalo Ramos sealed the win with a fifth later on.
Fernandes played the entire 120 minutes of the meeting and during this period, had a mammoth 112 touches of the ball and completed 77% of his passes. Four of his passes were key passes.
He was unlucky in his crossing however, as none of his six attempts was met by a teammate. He also managed to connect with just two of the seven long balls he pinged.
United’s number eight kept the Danish defence busy as he had two shots on target, one shot off it and one shot that was blocked. He also missed one big chance in the match.
The 30-year-old contested 13 ground duels, coming out on top five times. He did not win the one aerial challenge he vied for. Fernandes won three tackles and made one interception as he also helped out defensively.
Fernandes provided two assists for Portugal—delivering the corner that led to Andersen’s own goal and striking the powerful shot that Schmeichel spilled, allowing Ronaldo to score. While they may not be classified as conventional assists by statisticians, their importance was undeniable.
The United skipper was on the same side as United compatriot Diogo Dalot, who was afforded 81 minutes before being replaced by a more attacking-minded player in Trincao.
Dalot was strong defensively, putting in a number of strong challenges that got the home crowd on their feet.
The full-back made one clearance, one interception and three tackles. He did make one error which led to a shot by the opposition but not a goal, much to the delight of his teammates.
Dalot had 48 touches in the game and completed 26 of his 30 pass attempts. However, he was less involved in attacking play than usual, largely due to the threat posed by Dorgu.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Portugal will now take on Germany in the semi-final at the start of June. Meanwhile, for Fernandes and Dalot, their immediate attention shifts to United and the upcoming clash with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on April 1.
Featured image Carlos Rodrigues 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!
