Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo was out with a stomach bug, but his Manchester United teammate Fernandes led a solid Portugal side in their last match.
Updated : Nov 18, 2022, 11:04 AM IST
Portugal defeated Nigeria 4-0 in a World Cup warm-up in Lisbon on Thursday, with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice in the first half and debutants Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario adding late goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo was out with a stomach bug, but his Manchester United teammate Fernandes led a solid Portugal side in their last match before traveling to Doha on Friday.
The only surprise was the debut of Antonio Silva, a 19-year-old Benfica defender who started ahead of Pepe as the veteran recovers from a lengthy injury layoff.
In the 35th minute, Portugal extended their lead through Fernandes from the penalty spot after a Bernardo Silva pass struck the hand of defender Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Fernandes easily converted the penalty kick for his third brace for Portugal.
"The perfection didn't exist or at least it is very hard to accomplish, but we made a great game, dominating every level," Fernandes told Sport TV.
In his stride, Ramos collected a short pass from Raphael Guerreiro and delivered a thunderous shot low towards the middle of the goal.
To the pleasure of the stadium's 45,000 fans, Joao Mario sealed the victory with a strike into the bottom corner.
Portugal is in Group H of the World Cup, along with Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea.