Bruno Fernandes netted double-strikes to take Manchester United one step closer to the Champions League Round of 16.
Bruno Fernandes played a major role to send Manchester United close to the last 16 in the Champions League. The Red Devils thrashed Istanbul Basaksehir by 4-1 on Tuesday night at Old Trafford.
Before the international break, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men suffered from a loss at the hands of the Turkish team. This, in turn, gave a ray of hope for Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Group H rivalry. However, with the help of their captain, United have bounced back to winning ways.
The game progressed with a tough fight from Basaksehir. Though Fernandes scored a brace to help the hosts take control of the game right from the beginning. The Portugal international rocketed home a glorious strike right from outside the penalty box. An Alex Telles corner-kick saw Fernandes free, who had enough room to take a clear shot on target.
The Portuguese effect.
The 26-year-old now takes his goalscoring tally to 34 in 35 appearances for United. Moreover, Fernandes had the opportunity to score a hat-trick just after the half-hour mark. But the generous midfielder allowed Marcus Rashford to take the spot-kick, who had initially won it from a tackle from Boli Bolingoli.
United further went on to score another goal late in the second half. This time, it was Daniel James who put the game to bed. Basaksehir managed to pull one back, with Deniz Turuc scoring a brilliant free-kick. Although, the heroics shown by Fernandes lifted United up to the top spot on the table. The win now brings Ole’s side closer to the qualification for the Round of 16.
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