Portugal's Euro 2016 qualification campaign is looking considerably less disastrous than it was a day ago, thanks to some late heroics by Cristiano Ronaldo. Denmark would have had a stranglehold on the group lead if not for the Real Madrid man's 95th minute header, which fired Portugal to a 1-0 win.
Denmark vs. Portugal, Euro 2016 qualifying: Final score 0-1, Cristiano Ronaldo scores 95th minute winner
Christopher Lee
The game had a surprisingly wide-open start, with Lasse Vibe drawing a free kick just 15 seconds in. Cristiano Ronaldo had a great chance to score in the 7th minute, turning and firing from 12 yards, but Kasper Schmeichel made an excellent save.
Nani had a couple of great chances with his head in the first half, but couldn't direct a shot on target on either occasion. Denmark's best chance of the match came in the 34th minute, when Michael Krohn-Delhi made himself a tiny pocket of space inside the box and hit a right-footed shot that beat Rui Patricio, but bounced off the post.
While the first half had plenty of action, the second half had next to none, and was spectacularly boring until stoppage time. But with one of the last kicks of the ball, Ronaldo rose up above the entire Denmark defense to meet a cross by substitute Ricardo Quaresma and head into the back of the net, stealing points for Portugal.
Denmark through everyone forward on a corner in the 96th minute -- including Schmeichel -- but they couldn’t turn in Thomas Kahlenberg’s ball.
Denmark: Schmeichel, Boilessen (Poulsen 58’), Agger, Kjaer, Jacobsen, Kvist, Hojbjerg, Krohn-Delhi, Eriksen (Kahlenberg 84’), Vibe (Bech 46’), Bendtner
Goals: None.
Portugal: Patricio, Eliseu, Pepe, Carvalho, Cedric, Carvalho, Tiago (Quaresma 84’), Moutinho, Danny (Eder 78’), Nani (Mario 68’), Ronaldo
Goals: Ronaldo (95’)
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