Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes stole the show in his country’s international friendly victory over Finland.
Portugal left Bruno Fernandes on the bench against Finland for a pre-Euro 2024 friendly, and he still managed to steal the show.
The Manchester United playmaker was a half-time substitute and netted two goals in the second half to wrap up a 4-2 victory
The victory was achieved without Cristiano Ronaldo, who will link up with the squad in the coming days.
And with the 39-year-old absent, Fernandes stepped up, and he was not the only one.
Bruno Fernandes praises Portugal teammate
Bruno Fernandes witnessed a strong midfield performance from Manchester United transfer target Joao Neves, while promising centre-back Goncalo Inacio was also introduced at half-time.
Yet there was another young player who caught Fernandes’ eye, winger Francisco Conceicao, who was making his second Portugal appearance and first start.
Conceicao provided two assists, setting up both of Fernandes’ goals, and as a player who likes providing goals for others, the Manchester United star appreciated the service coming his way.
Speaking post-game via Mais Futebol, Fernandes praised Conceicao, and believes he is a very useful addition to the Portugal squad.
He said: “Francisco had a very good game, he is an electric player and without the ball he works a lot. In reacting to loss he is very quick and is very well positioned.
“You can see that he was trained by his father, who cares a lot about these details. We want players who can provide different qualities, so we can be complete as a group.”
Francisco Conceicao is the son of Sergio Conceicao, former Portugal winger and recently the Porto coach.
Conceicao plays for Porto, where he is on loan from Ajax, who signed him in 2022. This past season he has scored eight goals and provided eight assists in all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes and Portugal among Euro 2024 favourites
Bruno Fernandes and Portugal left the 2022 World Cup feeling like they had missed an opportunity, losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco.
They hired a new coach, former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, which was seen as a risk after his side’s dismal showing in Qatar, group stage elimination.
During qualifying at least, Martinez and Portugal has been a perfect fit. The team won every single match, winning 10 from 10, with Fernandes one of the stars.
He managed to do while handling an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo with ease, using him in a key role when he was available, and making him feel important.
Can Martinez get the best out of Ronaldo and Fernandes at the Euros? Possibly. There are lots of other talents in play too, Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos, and Conceicao is another weapon they can use.
Tournament football is a lot tougher than qualifying. Portugal were having a strong 2022 before their defeat to Morocco. All it takes is one bad day, and it’s over.