With the knockout stage of the 2024 European Championship almost over, several Manchester City players have been in action over the past few days.
One match that saw a number of City players feature in it was Portugal’s recent match against Slovenia.
After extra time, the score was tied at 0-0, resulting in a penalty shootout taking place which Portugal eventually won.
Even though Bernardo Silva scored the winning penalty for his side, another City player in a Portugal shirt found himself on the end of some significant praise during this particular match.
Martin Keown says Joao Cancelo was ‘brilliant’ in Portugal vs Slovenia
Speaking on BBC One’s commentary (via BBC Sport) during the second half of the match between Portugal and Slovenia, Keown had this to say about Joao Cancelo and what he was doing on the pitch for his side.
He said: “It is so difficult to deal with that in-swinging cross. Joao Cancelo has been brilliant in this second half.”
Cancelo showed his quality in latest Portugal appearance
The full-back, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona away from the Etihad Stadium, completed 117 minutes in last night’s dramatic game.
During his time on the pitch, Cancelo, who Kyle Walker described as being one of the best technical full-backs he’s ever seen back in May, showed his defensive capabilities by making five clearances, four tackles and one interception.
He also successfully completed six of the eight duels he was involved in, highlighting how effective he can be off the ball going forward as well as being a useful defensive figure for his side.
This display earned the City defender a strong overall match rating of 7.7/10 from SofaScore, making him the second-highest-rated outfield player for Portugal.
With all of that on board, it’s easy to see why Keown was so impressed with what he saw from the full-back on this occasion.