Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo captained Portugal Under-21 to a pivotal 2-0 victory over Croatia last night in EURO 2025 qualifying.
The Almada-born man scored the opener in what turned out to be a comfortable victory for the Selecao, latching on to a cutback to stroke home with his weaker foot.
Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Carlos Forbs doubled their advantage just under ten minutes later, placing Portugal four points clear of Greece at the top of Group G.
Reacting on Instagram, Bernardo posted on the social media platform with the caption: ‘Another great win! We’re still together!’ after helping his country to secure a priceless victory.
He also spoke out after the game following an accomplished performance in the engine room that will undoubtedly please the Celtic support.
Paulo Bernardo on Portugal Under-21 victory
Speaking to the official Portugal national team’s website, Bernardo shared his delight at securing three points at a tricky away venue.
He stated [FPF]: “It was a difficult game. Croatia has a good team. It was more complicated than in Portugal, on a pitch in poor condition. We came out on top and were deserved winners.”
About the second-half, Bernardo continued: “We had a little more quality in the last pass, in the shot. We were already doing things well, we lacked definition in the last third. We managed to bring that to the second half.
“We had a good week of training, we worked well on our dynamics and brought them to the field. The second goal was also a great move, not just the first. We could have done more, but it didn’t.
I’m here to give my best, the coach believes in me if he puts me to play and I try to give the best response.”
Delivering once again for Portugal, Bernardo will now hope to come back to Celtic and keep himself in the starting line-up after a dominant performance against Rangers before the break. His goal can be seen below via Canal 11 on X.
The Bhoys have a lot of football to play this season and he will be looked upon as a key contributor by Brendan Rodgers following Matt O’Riley’s departure.
Hopefully, the former Benfica man can continue his rich vein of form as Celtic bid for success on multiple fronts.
His start as a permanent asset has been as exciting as many hoped, but there is still a lot of work to do amid competition for places in the engine room.
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