Bruno Fernandes strike seals crucial win for Portugal against Slovakia in Euro 2024 qualifier | OneFootball

A Bruno Fernandes strike in the 43rd minute was the difference as Portugal sealed an important win against Slovakia in their 2024 European Championship qualifier today.

Portugal came into the tie leading Group J with 12 points, but Slovakia were just a couple of points behind.

For all of Portugal’s pressure on Slovakia, they could only snag one goal, but it sealed a vital three points.

Fernandes’ goal was special. He fizzed into the Slovakia box before drilling his effort beyond Martin Dubravka to open the scoring.

The shot came from a tight angle, but it was laser-directed and hit the back of the net.

The goal was Fernandes’ third of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. He was excellent in games against Lichtenstein, Luxembourg and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

While Fernandes is not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer, his statistics speak for themselves.

He has already bagged one goal and created four big chances in four Premier League games this season.

He notched eight goals and created 32 big chances in the Premier League last term.

Fernandes was an obvious omission for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award as his production was worthy of inclusion on the prestigious list.

Despite Fernandes’ impressive record for club and country, he is often underrated and gets undue flak.

He has consistently produced the goods and will play a pivotal role as Portugal strive to qualify for Euro 2024.

Man United will hope he continues his streak domestically as they look to bounce back from a poor start to the season.

The Red Devils have had a topsy-turvy start to the 2023/24 campaign, winning two and losing two of their opening league games.

After a defeat in their last game against Arsenal, they will hope to be back to their best when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.

Fernandes will likely be captaining United for that clash and will be expected to deliver the goods again.