Photo by Luis Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Luis Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes played his part in Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales in the UEFA Nations League.
Although goalscoring veteran Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the Portugal starting line-up, tonight marked the start of a new era for the national team. Jorge Jesus took charge of the team for the first time after a successful managerial career at club level.
The 72-year-old, who replaced Roberto Martinez after the 2026 World Cup, got off to a winning start by beating Wales 1-0 at the Estadio José Alvalade in the UEFA Nations League.
It took Portugal 21 minutes to open the scoring through Joao Felix, which was the only goal in a game that proved surprisingly competitive.
Bruno Fernandes’ performance against Wales
Portugal did not make easy work of Wales as many expected. Ronaldo had a goal disallowed in the second half, which drained the atmosphere in the stands. At least the former Manchester United star earned his 146th international cap.
Bruno Fernandes was among Portugal’s most creative players in the 1-0 win over Wales, but the United captain was unable to find a way through Craig Bellamy’s defence to make it a less challenging night for the hosts.
To his credit, Fernandes didn’t give up and kept plugging away at Wales. He was substituted in the 90th minute as Portugal went on to secure three points.
Bruno Fernandes stats against Wales:
Touches: 63
Chances created: 5 – more than any other player
Accurate passes: 41/48 (85%)
Touches in the Wales box: 2
Diogo Dalot was one of the players Jesus brought on in the 90 minutes before the fourth official announced five minutes of stoppage time. The United right-back didn’t do anything of note during his brief cameo.
Portugal have two more Nations League matches before United take on Tottenham in the Premier League. They face Norway on Sunday night before facing Denmark on the following Thursday.