Bruno Fernandes details penalty retake and Italian media breakthrough
Bruno Fernandes clarified his thoughts during the penalty retake that reignited Manchester United’s hopes against Roma. ‘I was lucky honestly, but the second time I made a decision.’
The Giallorossi had controlled play at Old Trafford in the Champions League, holding a 2-0 advantage after 18 minutes following goals from Matias Soulé and a Donyell Malen penalty.
Manchester United received a soft penalty to re-enter the contest, but Bruno Fernandes saw his initial attempt saved by Devis Vasquez.
When Bryan Cristante encroached during the rebound clearance, VAR ordered a retake, which Bruno Fernandes successfully converted to launch the eventual 3-2 victory.
Bruno Fernandes confession
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United has his penalty saved by Devis Stiven Vasquez Llach of AS Roma during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“I knew it was a big responsibility, it could’ve changed the game and we really needed a goal to get the crowd behind us at that moment,” Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sport Italia.
“The penalty is always a stressful moment, because it is just you against the goalkeeper and nobody else can help in that situation.
“I was lucky honestly that Cristante went into the box too early, so it gave me an opportunity to take it again. The second time, I decided to pick a spot and hit it as hard as I could without trying to second-guess where the goalkeeper was going.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United clashes with Matias Soule of AS Roma during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Following a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como, reports indicated Manchester United staff prevented Bruno Fernandes from addressing local Italian media, despite his extensive time in Serie A and B.
A shift occurred, as the Portugal international conversed in Italian this evening regarding Manchester United’s winless streak since September 10.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 03: Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford on November 03, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
“It is a very important win, because obviously things aren’t going the way we want them to. We aim to do one thing and we do another, we concede goals at the start of games, it is a truly difficult moment, but we must try to get ourselves out of it,” added the midfielder.
“I hope this can give us the confidence to go forward and do better, because there is quality in this squad, we saw what we did last season and it’s not possible that it all just disappeared.
“These are the same players as before, we have added some good quality over the summer, and we need to keep going.”
