This weekend saw a handful of Portugal’s best players compete against each other in the Manchester derby, with Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo going up against Rúben Dias, João Cancelo and Bernardo Silva. But while there was a balanced split of talent at Old Trafford, the match proved an easy outing for visitors City, with Bernardo scoring in a comfortable 2-0 win for the Premier League champions.
Elsewhere, Jota’s form at Celtic continues to astonish after the Benfica loanee starred with two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win over Dundee in Scotland. There was also a brace for Bruma with PSV in the Netherlands, while Beto maintains his penchant for scoring vital goals with Udinese in Italy having grabbed a winner against Sassuolo.
The Manchester derby took place on Saturday lunchtime amid high anticipation as United played at home for the first time since losing 5-0 to Diogo Jota’s Liverpool last month. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is facing constant questions over his future and a comfortable 2-0 win for City, during which United had just one attempt on target through a Ronaldo volley – only increased the malaise at the club.
For City, Portuguese brilliance was in effect. Bernardo Silva scored the second goal, arriving at the back post to meet Cancelo’s cross just before half time to continue his splendid start to the season. Equally impressive was full-back Cancelo, who was widely considered Man of the Match for his performance at left-back, while Dias enjoyed a comfortable afternoon against a United attack seemingly incapable of providing service to Ronaldo.
Too hot to handle! ?#ManCity | @Sure pic.twitter.com/Bqhkvw7ASF
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 7, 2021
After the match, City boss Pep Guardiola said: “They waited for us, maybe because they respect us, which is a big compliment for us. But we did a good game and wanted the ball. That’s the only way to control the transitions. I know how big talented players like Cristiano are, they suffer when they don’t have the ball. We wanted that.”
Celtic hoping to sign Jota after latest star performance
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou was full of praise for Jota after the Portuguese forward scored twice in their 4-2 win over Dundee. The 22-year-old, who is on-loan from Benfica, found the net in midweek against Ferencvaros in the Europa League, and added two more at Dens Park on Sunday with close-range finishes to add to an assist for Kyogo Furuhashi.
Jota’s deal at Celtic contains an option to make his spell permanent for €7.5m and according to boss Postecoglou the club would be keen to make it happen. “He’s doing really well,” said the Australian. “He’s a young man who knows that he’s got a hell of a lot of talent. But he also knows he needs the right environment to do that.
“Jota, typically, is there..”
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) November 8, 2021
He’s on fire in Scotland pic.twitter.com/7jhoZMgyix
“He hasn’t had an easy sort of start to his career. He was out on loan last year and it didn’t work out for him. I think he’s loving life here. My job is to make him the best possible player he can be.
“If he feels that this is the place for his future, then we’d be more than happy to keep him here. He’s got a pretty good head on his shoulders. He knows the best way forward for him is to keep playing his football and the rest will take care of itself.”
Beto strikes again in Italy
Portuguese striker Beto has been in terrific goalscoring form in recent weeks in Serie A and the former Portimonense man was again the match-winner for Udinese this weekend. Beto’s goal, a simple tap-in from a squared pass by Roberto Pereyra, was the decisive moment in Udinese’s 3-2 win over Sassuolo on Sunday.
The strike was Beto’s fourth goal in his last six appearances for the Bianconeri. The 23-year-old’s previous two were both equalisers to salvage a point for his side, and the latest contribution led website TuttoMercatoWeb to compare Beto’s instincts as a striker to renowned goalscorer Filippo Inzaghi.
As well as proving a regular goalscorer, Beto is displaying a swift ability to deal with the more physical demands of Italian football. Of forward players with at least five appearances this season, the Luso man ranks 5th for aerial duels won, providing Udinese with a strong presence up front as he settles into his new surroundings.
The rest: Bruma double in Eredivisie
Bruma scored for the first time since August with a brace in Dutch giants PSV’s 4-1 victory over Fortuna Sittard on Sunday. With his side already 1-0 up, Bruma latched onto a long ball over the Fortuna backline on 54 minutes and finished calmly with his left foot to claim a 3rd league goal of the season.
His fourth was to follow, with Bruma carrying the ball into dangerous territory before exchanging passes with Benfica loanee Carlos Vinícius before clinically finding the corner. The win means PSV stay level with Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie standings on 27 points from twelve matches played.
[Bruma goals at 09:10 and 13:55]
Lech Poznan are still top of the Polish Ekstraklasa despite a second consecutive draw, with former Vitória Setúbal and Paços Ferreira midfielder Joao Amaral scoring as they were held 1-1 at Gornik Leczna. Finally, ex Cova Piedade man Hugo Firmino scored the winner for Armenian side Pyunik as they beat Noah 1-0 on Friday, while Carlos Fortes opened the scoring in Arema’s 2-2 draw with Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesia.
By Sean Gillen
