Bruno Fernandes: United skipper has an off day against Colombia
· Yahoo Sports
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes had an off day at the office as Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw by Colombia in their final group-stage game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Portugal entered the game in second place in Group K behind Colombia and needed a win to secure top spot in the group. The South American nation, however, were no pushovers.
Néstor Lorenzo’s team had won both group-stage games, scoring four goals and conceding just one. Roberto Martinez made one change to the starting XI that secured a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in the previous game, with Ruben Neves replacing Joao Neves.
Fernandes retained his place in the starting XI, as did United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the first player to score in six World Cups following his brace against Uzbekistan.
Colombia dominated Portugal
Colombia started the game strongly and regularly threatened Portugal’s goal. Diogo Costa had a busy opening spell, and the one time he was beaten, Ruben Neves was in position to clear the ball off the line.
Ronaldo tested Camilo Vargas with a free kick from just outside the box, and it would be the closest the five-time Ballon d’Or winner came to scoring all game. Portugal sprang into life in the final minutes of the half as Ronaldo attempted a bicycle kick and Joao Felix had a decent chance to score.
Roberto Martinez brought on Diogo Dalot and Joao Neves at the break, but Colombia continued to dominate proceedings. They appeared to have won it in injury time when Davinson Sanchez found the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside.
Portugal finished the game with 13 shots, only two of which were on target. Bruno Fernandes had an unusually quiet game as his nation ended the group in second place.
United skipper has an off day
Fernandes set up Ronaldo’s second goal against Uzbekistan, registering his first assist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, the United skipper struggled to impose himself against Colombia.
Fernandes registered two shots, one of which was on target, and missed one big chance. He had 56 touches of the ball and attempted 44 passes with an 89% accuracy.
The 31 year old managed one key pass and seven long balls, five of which reached his team-mates. However, both of his attempted crosses were unsuccessful, while he also failed to complete a dribble.
Fernandes was involved in four duels and came out on top in all of them but lost possession 10 times. The United skipper also registered two tackles as he experienced a rare off day on the pitch.
Bruno Fernandes Stats vs Colombia
Source: Sofascore.
Final Thoughts
Despite Bruno Fernandes struggling to hold his own against Colombia, Portugal managed to secure passage into the knockout stages. The United skipper will now hope for a better showing when the Selecao take on Croatia in the Round of 32 on Thursday, 2 July.
Featured image by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
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