"Always turns up for his country", "Man is an insane baller" - Fans hail Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate after 2-1 Scotland win
Fans heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes for his performance against Scotland in the UEFA Nations League clash on Sunday (September 8). The Selecao bagged a 2-1 win in their second group stage match at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay scored the first goal through an assist from Kenny McLean just seven minutes into the game. Fernandes found the back of the net with a long-range strike, giving Portugal the equalizer in the 54th minute. Ronaldo, who came off the bench at the beginning of the second half, netted the winning goal, courtesy of an assist from Nuno Mendes in the 88th minute.
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes is the player with the most goal contributions (23) under head coach Roberto Martínez, as per O Jogo.
Fans took to social media to hail Fernandes for his 24 goals and 21 assists in 73 games for Portugal. Here are some of their reactions from X (formerly Twitter):
One fan wrote:
"Bruno Fernandes always turns up for his country."
Another added:
"Bruno Fernandes is a joy to watch. Man is an insane baller. The best Midfielder in the World if you are being honest!!!"
"Bruno Fernandes with yet another beautiful goal, he's simply unstoppable when he plays for Portugal," chimed in another fan.
One account posted:
"Bruno Fernandes is not normal. What a player!"
Another tweeted:
"Legend of the game in my books"
One user wrote:
"Bruno Fernandes The next Portugal captain ❤️"
While another wrote:
"If Bruno Fernandes plays for Barcelona, Real Madrid, ManCity or Bayern Munich, he would be in the best midfielder of all time debate. I just hope he doesn’t regret playing for Manchester United at the end of his career."
The game against Scotland in the UEFA Nations League marked Bruno Fernandes' 600th career appearance, which coincidently came on his birthday, September 8.
Cristiano Ronaldo on social media after Portugal's UEFA Nations League win against Scotland
Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 900th career goal in Portugal's first group-stage clash in the 2024 UEFA Nations League against Croatia on Thursday (September 5). The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did not wait long to start his journey towards 1000 career goals, with his 901st goal coming against Scotland on Sunday (September 8).
Following the Selecao's win against Scotland, the 39-year-old star took to social media to celebrate his nation's consecutive wins.
Ronaldo shared pictures from the match, with the caption:
"Two games, two wins 🇵🇹 Thanks for all the support, Portugal!"
Cristiano Ronaldo's national and former club teammate Bruno Fernandes spoke about the captain's 901st goal, saying (via @ElijahKyama_ on X):
"The influence is always the same, regardless of whether he starts on the bench or not. Everyone who came on made a difference. Cristiano has a goal, today he scored his 901st and now he is on his way to a 1000, which is what he wants."
After the win against Scotland, Portugal are on top of Group A1 with six points in the 2024 UEFA Nations League. They will next face Poland on October 12.
With the international breaking momentarily coming to an end, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be back in action for Al-Nassr's upcoming clash against Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, September 13, at Al-Awwal Park.