Portugal 5 – 2 Denmark
Portugal erased the disappointment of Ronaldo’s missed penalty and the frustration of their first-leg loss to storm into the UEFA Nations League semifinals.
Francisco Trincão came off the bench to score twice, with Cristiano Ronaldo also finding the net, as Portugal defeated Denmark 5-2 after extra time on Sunday. The 5-3 aggregate victory set up a semifinal clash with Germany.
Ronaldo overcame the setback of missing an early penalty and played a crucial role in Portugal’s comeback. Although he had to watch extra time from the bench, he kept rallying the crowd as his team finally broke Denmark’s resilience.
Denmark held a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Copenhagen, courtesy of Rasmus Hojlund. Additionally, they missed fullback Joakim Maehle, who left the camp for the birth of his child. His replacement, Patrick Dorgu, handed Portugal an early opportunity by fouling Ronaldo to concede a penalty in the third minute.
Ronaldo stepped up, but Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel won the duel, diving smartly to his left to deny the Portuguese captain. Ronaldo nearly made amends in the 17th minute, heading Nuno Mendes’ cross towards goal, but Schmeichel was once again up to the task.
Portugal eventually broke the deadlock in the 38th minute, thanks to an own goal by Danish defender Joachim Andersen, who inadvertently headed a Ronaldo-won corner into his own net.
Denmark equalized in the 56th minute with a header from Rasmus Kristensen, leveling the score on the night. Ronaldo then restored Portugal’s lead with a sharp finish from a tight angle, but Christian Eriksen put Denmark ahead on aggregate in the 76th minute.
That’s when Trincão took center stage. He scored in the 86th minute to level the aggregate at 3-3, forcing extra time. Just five minutes into the extra period, he clipped a superb finish to give Portugal the edge.
Despite Denmark’s heroic defensive efforts, they ran out of steam after Trincão’s second goal. Substitute Gonçalo Ramos sealed the deal with Portugal’s fifth, securing a final-four showdown with Germany, who edged past Italy 5-4 on aggregate.
