Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot both started for Portugal in their final World Cup warm-up clash against Nigeria on Wednesday, playing the first-half.
Most Manchester United fans are excited to see Bruno Fernandes in the World Cup, as he looks to continue his magnificent campaign for his national team.
Ahead of the World Cup, Fernandes will be looking to break Pele’s assist record after smashing the Premier League record.
But against Nigeria, it was Diogo Dalot who was the creator instead. Both were withdrawn at half-time with the score at 1-1.
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Diogo Dalot gets an assist for Portugal
Quite shockingly, it wasn’t Fernandes who got the assist for Portugal; instead, it was Dalot, as he set up the opening Portugal goal for Pedro Neto.
From the byline, Dalot passed it back to Neto, who finished really well into the far bottom corner.
Dalot started at left-back over Nuno Mendes, and he did as much as he could to prove he deserves that role with his assist, six recoveries, and an 89% pass completion rate.
But Dalot should really be starting at right-back for Portugal, not on the left. Perhaps this performance will show Roberto Martinez what he is missing.
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Bruno Fernandes has a quiet night for Portugal
Fernandes was only quiet by his own glowing standards against Nigeria.
He still managed to create one big chance and two key passes in the 45 minutes he played, with five carries.
Defensively, Fernandes won two of three duels and made three recoveries as the spearhead of the greatest midfield at the World Cup.
The highlight of this, however, is that Fernandes only had to play 45 minutes and will get some rest now ahead of the tournament opener against DR Congo.
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