Bruno Fernandes’ goal on his 29th birthday gave Portugal a 1-0 victory over Slovakia in Bratislava on Friday, giving them their fifth straight victory in Euro 2024 qualification.
With 15 goals scored and no goals conceded in Group J, Roberto Martinez’s team leads its rivals by five points after they were defeated for the first time.
“We knew it would be complicated but we managed to unlock the game,” Fernandes told Portuguese broadcaster RTP.
“We needed to have a little more of the ball, to be more patient.”
In place of the injured 40-year-old defender Pepe, Portugal’s coach chose 19-year-old Antonio Silva of Benfica to play with Ruben Dias in the middle of the defense.
At the age of 38, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing for Portugal for the 201st time, scored one of his record 850 career goals against Slovakia in a 2005 World Cup qualifying match, but he was unable to add to the total on this occasion.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward made his international debut for Portugal in 2003, and he currently leads all players in both goals and appearances with 123.
After a defensive blunder by Slovakia, Fernandes shot instead of passing, and Martin Dubravka blocked the midfielder’s low attempt, Ronaldo raised his arms in agony.
It was one of the few opportunities in a cagey first half in which Slovakia kept things close, but the hosts might have taken the lead when Lukas Haraslin’s powerful drive kissed the outside of the near post.
Soon after, Fernandes gave Portugal the lead with a close-range goal into the far corner, his third of the qualifying round, giving the visitors the lead going into halftime.
