Midfielder to miss Aviva Stadium clash on November 13 due to suspension
Portugal's Bruno Fernandes in action against Ireland's Chiedozie Ogbene last Saturday
Portugal's Bruno Fernandes in action against Ireland's Chiedozie Ogbene last Saturday
Aidan Fitzmaurice
Today at 12:21
Bruno Fernandes insists it’s business as usual for Portugal ahead of their World Cup qualifier away to Ireland next month even though they dropped points – and missed out on the chance of automatic qualification – by drawing at home to Hungary.
Portugal had the opportunity to join England as the only European nations guaranteed a place at the finals, with two qualifying games to spare, if they’d held on to a 2-1 lead at home to Hungary but were pegged back to 2-2 by a late goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Due to a goal difference (+7) which is far superior to that of Hungary (+1), a draw away to Ireland would all but qualify Portugal before their final group game, at home to Armenia while a win would make mathematically certain.
Boss Martinez admitted his disappointment that they didn’t seal the deal in front of home fans, and he has to face into the Dublin date without Manchester United man Fernandes, who will serve a suspension.
But Fernandes has played down that disappointment.
“Every game serves as a learning experience for the next one. We played against a team with a very low block [Ireland], where it was very difficult to find space for shots, but we were able to win and we have to do it again,” he said.
“We’re still favourites. We’re contenders like all teams; our goal is to qualify. But this doesn’t affect our mindset or our opinion of ourselves. We’re aware of our quality; this match doesn’t shake that at all,” he added.
It’s a concern to some in Portugal that despite that goal difference they have now conceded four goals to Hungary.
“We’ll have two more games, one of them in front of our fans. It’s not a matter of losing confidence. It’s painful, our goal was to complete qualification in front of our fans, but in reality, to prepare for the World Cup, it’s better to have two competitive games in November,” said Martinez.
“It’s not a negative situation for the players. We’ll continue to be a committed team that works very well. At this stage, we’ve got four more points; now we have to prepare the team for the November games.
“The last ten minutes were a lesson for us, not just for those who played, but for everyone. We needed a pragmatic team, but when our hearts get the better of us, we stop doing what we need to do with the ball.”