100% successful dribbles, 100% wins in aerial duels, 2 shots: Man Utd star Diogo Dalot can hold his head high despite Portugal’s humiliating 2-0 loss to Georgia.
Georgia took an early lead, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring just 93 seconds in. A terrible pass from Benfica defender Antonio Silva on the halfway line was intercepted by Georges Mikautadaze, who advanced up the pitch before providing a brilliant through ball to Kvaratskhelia.
The Napoli winger superbly controlled it on the edge of the box before firing a fantastic left-foot shot past custodian Diogo Costa.
Portugal didn’t really provide anything, as evidenced by how upset and agitated their leader, Cristiano Ronaldo, was.
Mikautadaze extended Georgia’s advantage in the 57th minute with a penalty kick to secure the victory and advance their team to the next round of the game.
While many of Portugal’s players performed poorly at the Arena AufSchalke in Germany, United’s Dalot is one of the few who can keep his head high.
The defender missed Portugal’s previous match against Turkey and had to settle for a bench spot. This time, however, Roberto Martinez gave him a start, and despite defeat, Dalot performed admirably.
The full-back got 68 ball touches during his time on the pitch and completed 54 of the 55 passes he attempted, for an individual pass accuracy of 98%. Dalot made a vital pass.
He attempted to connect with two crosses but failed to hit his target on both occasions.
The 25-year-old had two shots in his name. One was on target, while the other did not need the Georgia custodian to take any action.
Dalot accomplished the one dribble he attempted.
He competed in four ground duels and won twice. Dalot was forced to compete in two aerial challenges. He took all two.
The United player completed one clearing and blocked as many shorts. He also had one interception and made one tackle.
(statistics acquired from Sofascore)
Dalot will likely hope that his performance earns him a position in Martinez’s starting lineup for the team’s next match against Slovenia.
