Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after Bruno Fernandes shines to help Portugal beat Finland in his absence

Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a message in support of his teammates following a fine performance from Bruno Fernandes. The Iberian side had a dominant display against Finland in their friendly game ahead of Euro 2024 on Tuesday (June 4), emerging 4-2 winners.

The game saw Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes bag a brace, with a goal either side of a two-goal haul from Teemu Pukki. The Selecao will play two more friendlies before they begin their continental campaign.

Portugal enjoyed a fine display in the friendly game and didn't need to bring on talismanic striker Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Los Blancos forward posted on Instagram after the match to show support for his teammates following their victory, writing in a story:

“Let's go team."

Ronaldo celebrates his Portuguese teammates after their friendly win over Finland via an Instagram story.

With two more friendlies against Croatia and Ireland set to be played, the team will hope they can keep up their fine performances heading into the tournament. They face the Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia in group F of Euro 2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to feature in the upcoming matches and increase his tally for his nation in the games to come.

Bruno Fernandes helps Portugal to victory as Selecao win without Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal played the first of three friendlies before they begin their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany last night against Finland. The Iberian side had Bruno Fernandes to thank as they came out 4-2 winners in the game without Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad.

Roberto Martinez’s men enjoyed a commanding first half against their opponents, opening the scoring in the 17th minute, with Ruben Diaz connecting with a Vitinha corner to give his side the lead.

Diogo Jota doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of added time in the half after Chico Conceicao was fouled. The infraction was Initially believed to be a free kick outside the box, but a lengthy VAR check confirmed that Finnish player Anssi Suhonen fouled him in the box.

Bruno Fernandes came on in the second half and had an instant impact on the game, making it 3-0. The Manchester United captain was given the ball by Conceicao and he expertly wrapped his foot around it, sending a fabulous strike into the top corner from outside the box.

Finland bagged one with their first attempt in the 72nd through Teemu Pukki. The veteran striker got on a through ball from Robin Lod and expertly chipped Jose Sa to make it 3-1.

The Fins made it 3-2 six minutes later when Pukki got on the end of another through ball in the 77th minute. He smoothly slotted the ball past the Portuguese stopper to cut the deficit down to one.

The Manchester United captain made it 4-2 and restored his side's two-goal advantage in the 84th minute. Conceicao bagged another assist, feeding the ball to Fernandes in the box for him to slot it into the right side of the goal.