OPINION
Bruno Alves starred at the heart of Portugal’s defence as the Euro 2016 winners lost on penalties in the semi-final of the Confederations Cup on Wednesday night.
Alves, 35, started the match alongside West Ham defender Jose Fonte as he showcased what Rangers fans could look forward to after the defender put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Gers.
Portugal kept a clean sheet throughout the match before crashing out on penalties, as Joao Moutinho, Ricardo Quaresma and Nani all had penalties saved by Man City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
It sees Alves drop out of the competition along with his country, as Germany go up against Mexico in the other semi-final on Thursday night in Russia.
The defender, who signed from Serie A outfit Cagliari, is one of Pedro Caixinha’s eight new signings alongside Fabio Cardoso, Ryan Jack, Carlos Pena, Dalcio, Daniel Candeias, Eduardo Herrera and Alfredo Morelos.
This Is Futbol considers three things we learned from Alves’ performance against the Copa America champions as they failed to earn their place in the final which will take place on July 2.