Bruno Fernandes scored a spectacular goal to help Portugal defeat Finland 4–2, demonstrating exactly how essential he is to the team.
In the friendly on Tuesday night, the captain of Manchester United scored twice. His first goal came on the 55th minute when he skillfully struck the ball from the perimeter of the box into the upper left-hand corner of the net.
That gave Portugal a 3-0 lead in Lisbon, and after the opposition quickly responded with two goals of their own, Fernandes completed the victory with a crisp finish.
Given Saudi Arabia’s interest in Fernandes, there is some doubt over his future at Old Trafford following his brace.
TalkSPORT is aware that Fernandes desires to remain at Manchester United, but he would prefer additional certainty on his future since his current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2026.
And Man United could be wise to tie him down based on his performance on Tuesday night.
Following goals from Diogo Jota and Ruben Dias, Roberto Martinez’s team led 2-0 at halftime. With his rocket, Fernandes gave the home team a commanding lead.
The 29-year-old, who plays for Manchester United, started the move when he clipped the ball into the area and found Diogo Dalot, who then found Goncalo Ramos.
After Ramos passed the ball to Francisco Conceicao, who was unable to create any space between the Finland defence, Fernandes rifled the ball past goalie Lukas Hradecky.
Portugal looked to be winning, but two goals in as many minutes from former Norwich striker Teemu Pukki gave the game fresh life. However, Fernandes gave the hosts a cushion back when he first placed the ball low into the bottom left corner after Conceicao set it up.
Manchester City defender Dias, captaining Portgual on the night, opened the scoring
Liverpool forward Jota scored a penalty to make it 2-0 just before half time
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t feature in the friendly and he’s yet to link up with his Portugal teammates as Al Nassr’s season ended later, with their final match coming last Friday.
Portugal are one of the main contenders to win the tournament in Germany with Martinez’s men beginning their campaign on Tuesday June 18 against the Czech Republic. They also face Turkey and Georgia in their group.