08.10.2015 » Portugal 1-0 Denmark. EURO 2016, here we go!
It turned out to be an easier campaign than most had anticipated a year ago, but Portugal managed to find the right track to the EURO 2016 and have sealed their qualification tonight by beating Denmark 1-0 at the Estádio Municipal de Braga. The Portuguese players brought on their high determination and work-rate levels, something which they've been recurrently doing ever since Fernando Santos took over as manager, when he replaced Paulo Bento back in September of 2014. Even though Denmark did manage to keep Ronaldo at bay and unable to score throughout the whole game, it would be AS Monaco midfielder João Moutinho striking the decisive blow in the second half and sending Portugal to France next summer by advancing on the top of the standings in Group I.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs Denmark
Portugal 1-0 Denmark - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Denmark:
There were plenty of changes in Portugal's lineup since their previous fixture against Albania roughly a month ago on September 7, but the competitive attitude and the mindset to win seems to have remained in the eleven men Fernando Santos picked to face Denmark this Thursday night. Portugal were tipped favorites at 1.75 to win this game. As for winning the upcoming EURO 2016 next summer, odds will certainly be against Ronaldo and his teammates...
In goal, Rui Patrício kept another clean sheet, his 4th out of the 7 fixtures played so far during this qualifying campaign. The left full-back was Fábio Coentrão, while Southampton's Cedric Soares took on the right side. In the center, Ricardo Carvalho and Bruno Alves paired up, as they attempted to make Pepe's absence the less felt as possible.
Upfront, all duties were tasked to Bernardo Silva, Nani and obviously Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid superstar played in a more central role than he usually does at the Spanish capital, allowing his two attacking partners to be deployed on the wings. Nevertheless, Ronaldo was naturally given the freedom to explore that left side of the pitch he loves so much, and unsurprisingly, it was precisely from there that he was able to create his most dangerous plays...
With a goalless first half and Denmark in a desperate need of a win, it was highly unlikely that this game would come to an end without neither of the teams scoring. And so it was... Portugal managed to capitalize on a bad clearance that came off a corner-kick cross, with João Moutinho picking up the ball still outside the box, getting rid of two defenders in front of him and then finding the back of the net with a well placed and strong shot.
Kasper Schmeichel couldn't have done much more there and Portugal had just grabbed a very precious lead that would allow them to approach the remaining of the game knowing they had a 2-goal cushion over their main goal of earning at least 1 point this Thursday night.
As expected, the game opened up a bit more for the final minutes, but neither Portugal nor Denmark were able to change the scoreboard any further. With tonight's win and their 6th victory in a row in these European qualifiers, Portugal secured the first place in Group I and booked their ticket for next summer's EURO 2016, which will be held in France.
Portugal line-up vs Denmark:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Ricardo Carvalho, Bruno Alves, Cedric
Midfielders: Danilo, Tiago, João Moutinho
Attackers: Bernardo Silva, Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo.
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
|
||
|---|---|---|
Portugal
|
vs
|
Denmark
|
1 |
Goals |
0 |
13 |
Shots |
8 |
8 |
Shots on goal |
4 |
6 |
Corner kicks |
7 |
10 |
Fouls commited |
13 |
2 |
Yellow cards |
3 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
51% |
Ball possession |
49% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for the Portuguese National Team on the 11th of October of 2015, against Serbia. You can watch Juventus live stream, Serbia vs Portugal, Spain vs Luxembourg, England vs Estonia, USA vs Mexico, and Czech Republic vs Turkey, all matches delivered in our streaming live game pages.
Portugal next game:
Serbia vs Portugal kick-off time (11-10-2015):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 00:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 23:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 21:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 18:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 17:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 13:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 09:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / uefa.com / goal.com / ibnlive.com / bbc.com
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