Bruno Fernandes was on the receiving end of a rinsing from former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon for his lack of urgency in Portugal’s 4-2 loss to Germany.
Despite going 1-0 up through Cristiano Ronaldo in the 15th minute, the European Championship holders were especially poor at the Allianz Arena.
Fernandes in particular was below par and did not showcase the playmaking abilities we have seen on display in a Manchester United shirt
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The former Sporting CP midfielder was replaced by Joao Moutinho on the hour mark. But before that, Fernandes was slammed by Dixon, who was on co-commentary duty for ITV during the six-goal thriller.
“I think someone needs to tell Fernandes he’s 3-1 down.
“He is just strolling on the ball.
“He had a chance then to run into space and commit a few players ahead of him.
“No energy in his run at all.”
Fernandes was given a lowly 5.67 rating by WhoScored, having failed to make an impact in the game. He didn’t manage a shot or dribble during his stint on the pitch and was once again accused of going missing in a big match.
🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes game by numbers
🔐 Key Passes – 1
🏹 Shots – 0
🤤 Dribbles – 0
💪 Tackles – 0
🧠 Interceptions – 0
😫 Dribbled past – 2
📉 Rating – 5.67 pic.twitter.com/kh0Oz6OoJs— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 19, 2021
Prior to the game, Graeme Souness was highly critical of what he felt was petulant behaviour from Fernandes when he waved his arms in frustration last season.
The former Liverpool midfielder admitted he and his teammates would not have put up with his antics.
“He’s an exceptionally talented boy, there is so much to like about him. A great striker of the ball, when he shoots he makes the goalkeeper work,” Souness said on ITV.
“I played with players that would not be accepting of the thing you just touched on [petulance], you know he doesn’t get the ball and he is waving his hands around.
“He would not have lasted more than five minutes in my dressing room, but he is a wonderful talented boy.”
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Fernandes and Portugal play World Cup winners France in a massive final fixture on Wednesday, with the so-called ‘Group of Death’ wide open going into the third game after Saturday’s results.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images