The fight for supremacy in group F will also pass through their feet and their privileged heads. The midfield challenge between Hakan Çalhanoglu and Bruno Fernandes is among the most interesting of this European Championship. Distant careers, similar positions with tactical differences dictated by the needs of teams and coaches, great quality.
Italy in the background
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And also the same age: the two leaders of the Turkey and Portugal game on the pitch this afternoon in Dortmund are from 1994, with the Inter player born 7 months before his United colleague. Hakan arrived in Italy in 2017 after the first part of his career spent in his native Germany, the country where he was born, in Mannheim. Bruno had just left our country, after 5 unlucky seasons spent between Novara, where he arrived from Boavista, Udinese and Sampdoria. Different situations, coaches and clubs, a common denominator: no one saw the great potential of Maia’s boy, who thus decided to return home, to Sporting. Two and a half years at a very high level and the millionaire sale to the Red Devils, in the winter of 19-20. Since then he has become a cornerstone for the Manchester team, one of the few certainties of a club continually searching for lost glory and an antidote to City’s excessive power. Hakan has been in Milan for 7 years, 4 with the Rossoneri and 3 with the Nerazzurri.
advantage for bruno
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The two have played against each other twice: at San Siro in 2021 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League with English victory (1-0) and subsequent passage of the English team, and the second time in March 2022 at Dragao in Porto in the national team : 3-1 for the hosts on the road to Qatar. Tonight the third act with Çalhanoglu looking for the first points against his opponent. On the pitch in Italy Hakan has always occupied a less offensive role than his rival, which is perfectly reflected in the goals scored: this year in Serie A he has reached 13, 10 more than last year and the first to reach double figures after 17 and the 11 scored with Karlsruhe and Hamburg over 10 seasons ago. Bruno Fernandes reached 20 goals in his second year at Sporting, 18 in his second year in Manchester and this year in the Premier League he finished with 10. For the national team, Fernandes has 22 goals in 68 games, Çalhanoglu 18 in 87: again the difference is evident.
found
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Life brought the Inter player back together with Vincenzo Montella, who welcomed him to Italy as Milan coach and found him again as Turkey coach. Many things have changed for Hakan: the position on the pitch reinvented by Simone Inzaghi, much further back, the international dimension, which has increased considerably as has the awareness of being a world-class midfielder. «For me today Hakan is one of the best in the world in his position. The maturity acquired today at Inter is the fruit of the great work done in past years” said Montella with conviction. Bruno Fernandes’ progression is even more evident given that his start in Italy at Novara is not comparable to Manchester United’s current status as leader.
the challenge
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Today at the Borussia stadium Hakan and Bruno will cross paths but also on the pitch: the positions of the two will lead them to face each other in an open and unpredictable duel. Roberto Martinez’s Portugal is looking for the best form and balance in age and tactics, with Vitinha and Bernardo Silva called to combine with Bruno Fernandes. Montella’s Turkey is experiencing a moment of euphoria well represented by the explosion of the two kids: Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz. Hakan plays in the double pivot with Kaan Ayhan, Galatasaray’s defensive midfielder. We’ll see who comes out with the ball from the midfield traffic, which will be quite clogged today.
