Man Utd star scores hat-trick and creates eight chances in 9-1 rout to book World Cup spot as defender benched
Bruno Fernandes stood out for his country on Sunday night as as Portugal hammered Armenia 9-1 to book a 2026 World Cup spot
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as Portugal sealed their spot at next summer’s World Cup.
Portugal’s confirmation of their World Cup spot was delayed last week as they lost 2-0 to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. It was a game Fernandes did not feature in as he was suspended while former Red Devils star Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing an Ireland player.
Fernandes returned for Portugal on Sunday night and with Ronaldo suspended, the United man starred for his nation alongside Paris Saint-Germain star Joao Neves who also bagged a hat-trick.
United defender Diogo Dalot was benched and did not come on.
Bruno Fernandes bags Portugal hat-trick to book World Cup spot
Fernandes did not get credited with any assists but did create eight chances during the game - more than any other player and was handed a 9.8/10 rating by FotMob for his performance.
Two of Fernandes’ goals came from the penalty spot as he scored his first goal in the third-minute of first-half stoppage-time. He added his second on 51 minutes before scoring another on 72 minutes.
Renato Veiga put Portugal in front after seven minutes but Eduard Spertsyan claimed a surprise equaliser for Armenia. Portugal then went 5-1 up by half-time with Goncalo Ramos scoring just before the half-hour mark with a Neves double and then Fernandes’ first goal putting the hosts in control.
Fernandes completed his hat-trick with Neves then scoring his third before Francisco Conceicao added a ninth.
Hungary were the only side able to catch Portugal but needed them to lose to Armenia to stand a chance. The Eastern European nation failed to win their game as they dramatically lost 3-2 to Ireland in Budapest.
Portugal boss defends ex-Man Utd man Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal cruised to victory and the World Cup without Ronaldo but manger Roberto Martinez insisted his side was still better with the ex-United man in the side.
"No, we are better with Ronaldo, Nuno Mendes, and Pedro Neto,” he said.
"The most important thing is that football is a game of mistakes, challenges, and resilience, and when some players are not present, we have to find a way to win.
"I believe the key is to have all the important players, but also to have confidence and a clear idea that we can win even when some players are not in the starting line-up."
Elsewhere, Manuel Ugarte was left on the bench as Uruguay drew 0-0 with Mexico in a friendly. Both nations have qualified for the World Cup with Mexico in as hosts while Uruguay secured their spot through South American qualifying.