Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot suffer World Cup heartbreak as Portugal bow out | OneFootball

Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are in World Cup agony after Portugal were dumped out of the competition by Spain.

Portugal exit

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino scored a dramatic late goal to book Spain’s place in the quarter-finals and condemn Portugal to another painful World Cup exit.

The game was evenly contested for much of the encounter, with each team creating their fair share of goalscoring opportunities.

However, neither nation could breach the other and it seemed like the game was destined for extra time. However, substitute Merino had other ideas.

Slipped in behind the defence, he found himself one-on-one with the keeper and kept his cool, slotting home to book Spain’s place in the next round. Bernardo Silva went close to restoring parity for the Selecao, only to see his header flash over the crossbar.

Fernandes was named in the starting XI by Roberto Martinez, while Dalot came on in the second half.

United duo’s performance

Fernandes fired one shot during the time he was on the pitch. Creative as ever, he delivered two key passes to his teammates.

The United skipper delivered two accurate crosses from five attempts, while four of his 10 long balls reached their intended target.

He touched the ball 67 times and failed to complete the one dribble he embarked on. Fernandes contributed defensively, making two clearances and five recoveries. The 31-year-old was effective in the air, winning his only aerial duel, though he won just one of his three ground duels.

Dalot, afforded only 19 minutes, was introduced in an attempt to change the game but couldn’t quite deliver.

The right-back made his presence felt defensively, winning his only tackle and prevailing in one of two ground duels. He also contributed a further three recoveries.

The United defender touched the ball 14 times and connected with seven of the eight passes he attempted (88% individual pass accuracy).

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

Fernandes and Dalot will now take time to recharge ahead of their return to United for pre-season, which gets underway in a few weeks.

Featured image Lars Baron via Getty Images

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