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Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes played 79 minutes for Portugal in their 5-0 UEFA Euro Qualifier victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The United captain got on the score sheet.
His goal was Portugal’s third of the game after Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational brace put the Selecao firmly in control within the opening 25 minutes.
Barcelona duo Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix also registered goals in the first half, to ensure that the second period of the match was only a formality.
Fernandes grabbed two assists in Portugal’s last fixture vs. Slovakia. This time, he did one better by clinching his 18th international goal since making his debut in 2017.
During the time he was on the pitch for the national team, Fernandes had 54 touches of the ball to his name.
He successfully delivered 35 of the 43 passes he tried to find his teammates with, chalking up a pass success rate of 81%.
The playmaking midfielder made three attempts to cross the ball and came out on top just once.
In an impressive show of his technical ability, Fernandes tried to ping a long ball on six occasions and found his intended target four times.
The 29-year-old missed one big chance, from a fantastic cross delivered inside the opposition box by United teammate Diogo Dalot.
Fernandes could however not make a clean-enough connection with the ball and so, a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity went begging.
The United skipper delved into four ground duels and won three of them. He was not required to contest any challenges in the air.
Finally, Fernandes made one clearance and twice as many tackles which helped neutralize any little threat that Bosnia and Herzegovina tried to mount.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez previously referred to Fernandes as a “dream player” for any coach to manage due to the footballer’s intelligence and offensive contributions. He showed once more why Martinez has such high faith in him.
For Fernandes, all focus now shifts to United and the Red Devils’ upcoming Premier League visit to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United.
