Arsenal and Tottenham targets Joao Felix and Rafael Leao outshone Cristiano Ronaldo as they guided Portugal to a 3-2 win over Ghana in the World Cup.
What’s the story?
Well, it was Paul Brown who told Give Me Sport that Arsenal are huge fans of Felix, and have been tracking him for some time.
Elsewhere, Tutto Mercato Web revealed that Tottenham want to sign Leao.
The attacking sensations helped Fernando Santos and Portugal recover the game almost immediately after Andre Ayew had cancelled out Ronaldo’s opener, which came courtesy of a very dubious penalty.
Felix put Portugal 2-1 ahead with a delicate dink over Lawrence Ati-Zigi, before Leao then put Portugal two goals to the good with a fantastic finish into the far corner, opening his body up in a similar style to Thierry Henry.
Of course, Ronaldo picked up the official Man of the Match award, although as Kevin De Bruyne alluded to yesterday, FIFA seem to be giving these prizes out to the biggest name on the pitch, regardless of their performance.
In truth, it was the next generation of Portugal’s attacking talent who dug the nation out of a hole after Ayew’s equaliser, on a night where Ronaldo struggled, looking as if he was trying almost too hard to be the main man.
Arsenal may have better luck than Tottenham
In our view, Arsenal are more likely to land Felix, than Tottenham are when it comes to Leao.
Atlético Madrid need to raise funds after surprisingly crashing out of Europe following a woeful Champions League group stage campaign, with the Portuguese gem among those up for sale – that is according to Cadena SER.
In regards to Leao, the situation is almost the complete opposite.
AC Milan are desperate to keep the 23-year-old at the San Siro, and Calciomercato believe they have slapped a €100m (£86m) price tag on his head to fend off any interested parties.
Therefore, Mikel Arteta has a much better chance of landing his man than Antonio Conte does.
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