Denmark Secures Slim Victory Against Portugal in Quarter-Final First Leg

Denmark holds the upper hand in their UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Portugal, having secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg held in Copenhagen. This marks Denmark’s first win in five outings, while Portugal suffered their inaugural Nations League defeat on away soil.

Diogo Costa, the Portuguese goalkeeper, faced a moment of panic just two and a half minutes into the match when Mika Biereth closed down his clearance. Fortunately for Costa, he managed to retreat quickly and clear the ball before the debutant could convert it into a goal.

Shortly after, Costa demonstrated his reflexes by stopping a distance effort from Jesper Lindstrom, while at the other end, Kasper Schmeichel was called into action to parry a long-range attempt from Pedro Neto.

Midway through the first half, a blocked shot from Biereth fell favourably for Christian Eriksen. He connected beautifully with the ball on the volley, only for his shot to strike the hand of Renato Veiga, prompting referee Irfan Peljto to award a penalty.

Eriksen took the responsibility from the spot, but Costa guessed correctly, making a superb save to his right. As half-time approached, both Biereth and Eriksen must have felt frustration; Biereth was thwarted again by the excellent Costa, and Eriksen found the net only for his Manchester United teammate, Diogo Dalot, to clear the ball off the line.

In the second half, Costa continued to be the key player in keeping Portugal’s dreams of a second Nations League title alive, with a remarkable fingertip save from a Gustav Isaksen effort and another solid catch from an Eriksen free-kick.

Once they weathered that storm, Roberto Martínez’s side began to assert more control over possession and territory but struggled to trouble Schmeichel.

This lack of goal threat ultimately cost Os Navegadores, and with just 12 minutes left, Rasmus Hojlund, who had just missed a chance, found the net after being set up beautifully by Andreas Skov Olsen, scoring his first goal of the campaign.

Portugal failed to pose a serious threat for an equaliser and recorded no shots on target in the second half until the dying moments of the game, with Cristiano Ronaldo failing to make an impact throughout.

Despite Denmark’s eight-match winless run on foreign turf, Portugal will still have some optimism heading into the second leg in Lisbon on Sunday.