Following the 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in Portugal’s Euro 2024 opener, Bruno Fernandes insisted he made “a lot of mistakes” during the match.
took a 92North DakotaFrancisco Conceicao sealed a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in Leipzig on Tuesday night.
Roberto Martínez’s team had problems in front of goal, but it cannot be denied that they dominated the game. They will have to be more clinical when facing better teams.
Fernandes was in charge of pulling the strings from the center of the field. Portugal’s most creative player had been instructed to play a deeper role than usual in a 3-4-3 that did not feature natural defensive midfielders.
The Manchester United captain certainly made an impact, although his final product was lacking on the night. Fernandes created two chances, had two shots on goal, completed 88% of his passes and won 100% of his tackles.
However, Fernandes demands more from himself and his teammates.
“We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, especially me.” Fernandes told reporters, quoted by The Metro.
“Taking risks has two sides of the coin. I am aware of this. Midfielders take more risks.
“But also once I can pass the ball, I have a lot of quality in front of me to score a goal.
“So I’m not worried about making mistakes, because it’s part of the game. I have the team supporting me, because they know that that is one of my characteristics.”
Portugal’s main threat
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Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy was on pundit duty for BBC Sport when he greeted Fernandes.
“Bruno Fernandes investigates, uses his skill and tries to find an opening. He has been good.” Murphy said.
“Fernandes has used his energy well and always demands the ball and tries to impact the game.
“He is trying to be the one to do something special, it is crucial for Portugal.”
Portugal faces Turkey in their next match this weekend.
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