Portugal crushed Luxembourg 9-0 in a European Championship qualifying match, with Bruno Fernandes showcasing a dazzling performance on the night and delivering an incredible trivela assist to initiate the scoring.
The new Manchester United captain lined up in midfield alongside Danilo Pereira and Bernardo Silva, while the front three comprised Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao, and Goncalo Ramos to supply. This level of talent was precisely why they were considered as dark horses for the 2022 World Cup, although they ultimately failed to live up to expectations.
Qualification for the 2024 Euros tournament seems like a mere formality after their dominant performance against Luxembourg on Monday night, putting Roberto Martinez’s team in firm control of Group J with five consecutive victories. They now also lead the qualification campaign in terms of goals, surpassing England with a total of 24 goals.
Fernandes stood out among all the attacking prowess on display for Portugal during the aforementioned Luxembourg match, and Manchester United fans will eagerly anticipate the 29-year-old bringing this exceptional form back with him from international duty.
Fernandes destroys Luxembourg and produces insane assist
Only 12 minutes into the game, the midfielder played a significant role in helping his side initiate the scoring with a magnificent assist for defender Goncalo Inacio. The Sporting Lisbon center-back headed home after receiving an inch-perfect trivela cross from Fernandes, showcasing exceptional accuracy.
He continued to demonstrate his impeccable vision by gaining possession in the midfield and delivering a sublime pass to Nelson Semedo on the right wing, who had made an excellent run behind the defense. Although the Wolves right-back couldn’t control the ball, the stadium erupted in applause due to the evident vision and precision of the pass.
Portugal then surged ahead 3-0 with two goals from Ramos, who had recently joined PSG, and a repeat of the connection that led to the first goal. Fernandes sent in a cross from nearly the same spot, finding Inacio’s head once again, and the defender confidently headed it home.
In the second half, Fernandes completed his hat-trick of assists with yet another fantastic pass. He lofted the ball over the Luxembourg defense for Diogo Jota, who latched onto the pass and finished brilliantly. To cap off his outstanding performance, Fernandes netted a goal himself, calmly finishing from inside the penalty area after Otavio played him through on goal. It was truly an incredible performance from the Manchester United player. You can watch two of his incredible assists below.
Bruno Fernandes’ Ricardo Quaresma Trivela tribute was spot on. 🤤
(video via @ViaplaySportsUK)pic.twitter.com/sKA7e9XfA3
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) September 11, 2023
A creative masterclass from @ManUtd‘s Bruno Fernandes! 🙌
An inch perfect weighted pass over the top for his third assist as @LFC‘s Diogo Jota finishes to make it 5-0 🇵🇹#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/viZQ5jEqcq
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) September 11, 2023