1 big chance missed, 0 dribbles: United maestro has an off day in his nations stale World Cup draw

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes had an off day at the office as Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw by Colombia in their final group-stage game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal entered the game in second place in Group K behind Colombia and needed a win to secure top spot in the group. The South American nation, however, were no pushovers. Néstor Lorenzo’s team had won both group-stage games, scoring four goals and conceding just one. Roberto Martinez made one change to the starting XI that secured a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in the previous game, with Ruben Neves replacing Joao Neves. Fernandes retained his place in the starting XI, as did United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the first player to score in six World Cups following his brace against Uzbekistan. Colombia dominated Portugal Colombia started the game strongly and regularly threatened Portugal’s goal. Diogo Costa had a busy opening spell, and the one time he was beaten, Ruben Neves was in position to clear the ball off the line. Ronaldo tested Camilo Vargas with a free kick from just outside the box, and it would be the closest the five-time Ballon d’Or winner came to scoring all game. Portugal sprang into life in the final minutes of the half as Ronaldo attempted a bicycle kick and Joao Felix had a decent chance to score. Roberto Martinez brought on Diogo Dalot and Joao Neves at the break, but Colombia continued to dominate proceedings. They appeared to have won it in injury time when Davinson Sanchez found the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside. Portugal finished the game with 13 shots, only two of which were on target. Bruno Fernandes had an unusually quiet game as his nation ended the group in second place. United skipper has an off day Fernandes set up Ronaldo’s second goal against Uzbekistan, registering his first assist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, the United skipper struggled to impose himself against Colombia. Fernandes registered two shots, one of which was on target, and missed one big chance. He had 56 touches of the ball and attempted 44 passes with an 89% accuracy. The 31 year old managed one key pass and seven long balls, five of which reached his team-mates. However, both of his attempted crosses were unsuccessful, while he also failed to complete a dribble. Fernandes was involved in four duels and came out on top in all of them but lost possession 10 times. The United skipper also registered two tackles as he experienced a rare off day on the pitch. Bruno Fernandes Stats vs Colombia MetricValue PlayerBruno Fernandes Shots on Target1 Expected Goals (xG)0.25 Shots off Target1 Shots Blocked0 Dribbles (Successful)0 (0) Clearances2 Blocked Shots (Def.)0 Interceptions0 Tackles (won)0 Dribbled Past2 Touches56 Accurate Passes39/44 Pass %89% Key Passes1 Crosses (Acc.)2 (0) Long Balls (Acc.)7 (5) Duels (Won)4 (4) Ground Duels (Won)4 (4) Aerial Duels (Won)- Possession Lost10 Fouls2 Was Fouled- Offsides- NotesBig chances missed: 1 Source: Sofascore. Final Thoughts Despite Bruno Fernandes struggling to hold his own against Colombia, Portugal managed to secure passage into the knockout stages. The United skipper will now hope for a better showing when the Selecao take on Croatia in the Round of 32 on Thursday, 2 July. Featured image by Molly Darlington/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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.