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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes played for 74 minutes as Portugal came crashing out of Euro 2024 following a defeat at the hands of France.
Neither team could find the back of the net in regular time, forcing the match to head into extra time.
Even then, a winner could not be found after 120 minutes and a penalty shootout was needed to settle it. Ousmane Dembele, Youssouf Fofana, Jules Kounde, Bradley Barcola and Théo Hernandez all converted from the spot-kick to send France through to the semi-final, where they will face Spain.
Joao Felix was the only Portugal star to miss his penalty as he hit the post.
During the time he was on the pitch, Fernandes had 69 touches of the ball to his name and successfully found his teammates with 42 of the 50 passes he attempted, managing an individual pass completion rate of 84%.
Two of Fernandes’ passes were key passes.
The United playmaker tried to connect with nine crosses and five long balls. He successfully found his target with just two crosses and one long ball.
He aimed two shots at Mike Maignan in the France goal. One was off-target and didn’t at all require the French shot-stopper to swing into immediate action. The other one came in the 60th minute when Fernandes was put through on goal with only Maignan to beat. Unfortunately, the midfielder could not find the back of the net as his shot only stung the goalkeeper’s gloves.
Fernandes embarked on two dribbles but he didn’t complete any of them. He also missed one big chance – the one saved by Maignan.
The Red Devils skipper delved into five ground duels and came out on top just twice. He was not required to contest any challenges in the air.
Fernandes lost the ball on 17 occasions.
He put in one tackle and made as many clearances, during what was a disappointing evening both for him and the Selecao.
(stats obtained from Sofascore)
Fernandes will now likely head for a much-needed break as he prepares to make his return to United for pre-season.
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