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Manchester United had two of their stars representing Portugal in international action last night.

Over the years, the Red Devils have maintained a strong connection with Portuguese footballers, and both Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are expected to play vital roles for their country in the upcoming World Cup.

Former United legend Cristiano Ronaldo is also anticipated to be a key figure in Portugal’s pursuit of success at the tournament.

Portugal, one of the favourites heading into the competition, played their final preparatory game and secured a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.

Dalot featured for 45 minutes in the friendly and provided an assist for the opening goal. Receiving the ball on the left side of the penalty box, he cut inside onto his right foot before setting up Pedro Neto, who finished clinically to give Portugal the lead.

During his time on the pitch, Dalot completed 89% of his passes and registered one key pass. Impressively, he also achieved a 100% completion rate with his long balls and made one interception. He did not have to engage in any ground or aerial duels during his half of play.

Bruno Fernandes, who is often the creative heartbeat for both Manchester United and Portugal, had a relatively quiet evening by his standards. He did, however, create one major scoring opportunity and made two key passes in the match.

Fernandes completed 79% of his passes and registered one shot on target. He also contributed defensively, winning two of his three duels — a testament to his consistent work rate.

Portugal will now shift their focus to their opening group stage encounter against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, scheduled for 17th June at 18:00 BST.

Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images