A goal off the bench from Rasmus Hojlund was the difference between Denmark and Portugal in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final on Thursday evening.
The match got off to an incredibly lively start and both sides' goalkeepers and defences were tested early on. Diogo Costa was nearly forced into an error just one minute into the match while playing the ball out from the back and Kasper Schmeichel was forced into a very good save to keep out Pedro Neto's powerful strike from distance.
In the 24th minute, Denmark had a chance to make it 1-0 from the penalty spot following a handball from Renato Veiga, but Christian Eriksen saw his strike saved by Costa. The Manchester United man hit the penalty with power but failed to place it into the corner, making it a somewhat routine save for the Porto goalkeeper.
The Portugal number one was called into action yet again in the 36th minute when he made a terrific save to keep out Mika Biereth's scuffed strike which looked destined to nestle into the bottom corner. The visitors found themselves once again fortunate to not be trailing just minutes later when Eriksen's close-range shot was blocked on the line by his United teammate, Diogo Dalot.
The first half ended goalless with the sides level. However, Portugal will have gone into the break feeling fortunate to not be two or three nil down while Denmark will be kicking themselves for not taking their chances.
The first big chance of the second half came for Denmark and, once again, it was kept out brilliantly by Costa, who was constantly kept busy. It was a very good chance for the hosts and Gustav Isaksen will be kicking himself when he watches it back, as he probably had more time and space to move into instead of taking his shot first time.
After 78 minutes of Denmark pressure, the deadlock was finally broken, and it came through the substitute, Rasmus Hojlund. The United striker slotted a tidy right-footed finish into the bottom corner, sending Costa the wrong way to give his side a huge 1-0 lead which they thoroughly deserved.
Hojlund's winning strike was the last significant action of the match and Denmark picked up an important 1-0 victory, giving themselves an advantage going into the second leg of the tie on Sunday evening.
Denmark 1-0 Portugal - Match Statistics
Denmark
44
23
9
7
2
0
Match Highlights
To follow shortly...
Denmark Player Ratings
Christian Eriksen after missing a penalty for Denmark
GK: Kasper Schmeichel - 7/10
Although he was called into action early in the match, Schmeichel hardly had anything to do all evening, both in terms of shots at his goal as well as with the ball at his feet.
RB: Rasmus Kristensen - 7.5/10
Defended and battled really well against the pace and trickery of Leao. Kristensen didn't offer much going forward, but he made a big contribution to his side defensively.
CB: Joachim Andersen - 7.5/10
Made some terrific long balls to the Denmark attackers which caused problems for the opposition's defence and, just like his defensive partner, Vestergaard, Andersen made several key blocks and clearances.
CB: Jannik Vestergaard - 8/10
A brick wall in the Denmark defence. Vestergaard made many excellent blocks and clearances, and he was also quality with the ball at his feet.
LB: Joakim Maehle - 7/10
Very solid defensively, just like his full-back counterpart Kristensen. Maehle made attempts to bomb forward during the match, but his best moments came when defending against Neto, which he did very well.
CM: Christian Norgaard - 7/10
Rarely misplaced a pass in the middle of the park and acted as a solid protector for the Denmark centre-backs.
CM: Morten Hjulmand - 7/10
The Sporting midfielder was safe and tidy with the ball at his feet but put in a terrific shift in the pressing department.
CM: Christian Eriksen - 5/10
It just wasn't his night in front of goal. Eriksen was involved in a lot of the dangerous attacks his side created but lacked end product in the final third as well as missing his penalty.
RW: Gustav Isaksen - 7.5/10
Denmark's most dangerous attacker. Despite coming up against one of the best left-backs in world football, Isaksen caused a lot of problems with his pace and dribbling skills and arguably should've found himself on the scoresheet in the 55th minute.
ST: Mika Biereth - 5.5/10
Went close to scoring in the first half but mostly struggled to get into the match.
LW: Jesper Lindstrom - 6/10
Had a decent battle against Dalot but never really looked like a true threat going forward.
SUB: Andreas Skov Olsen - 7.5/10
Provided the assist for Hojlund's winning goal.
SUB: Rasmus Hojlund - 8/10
The match winner. Hojlund made an instant impact with his goal and gave Denmark energy and fluidity up front which Biereth did not.
SUB: Patrick Dorgu - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Jonas Wind - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Portugal Player Ratings
Diogo Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo in conversation
GK: Diogo Costa - 9/10
Single-handedly kept Portugal in the match for as long as he could. Costa made several terrific saves and had a quality performance despite having a nervy start to the match.
RB: Diogo Dalot - 6.5/10
Made an excellent goal-line block to deny Eriksen in the first half and was an energetic presence up and down the right flank throughout the whole match but at times was bypassed and caught out of position.
CB: Ruben Dias - 6/10
Dias was decent with the ball at his feet but looked incredibly shaky at moments during the match, especially in one-on-one situations.
CB: Renato Veiga - 5/10
The young defender didn't have the greatest night in Denmark. Veiga gave away a penalty in the first half after being penalised for a handball, and he didn't look comfortable at all when defending against either Biereth or Isaksen.
LB: Nuno Mendes - 7.5/10
Had a competitive battle with Isaksen, and he came out the victor most times. The PSG defender was energetic up and down the left flank, but his best moments came in the defensive department.
CM: Vitinha - 6.5/10
Calm and composed in possession of the ball but didn't contribute much to the match, either in a defensive or attacking aspect.
CM: Joao Neves - 6/10
Really energetic in midfield but just like Vitinha, Neves didn't actually contribute much to the match.
CM: Bruno Fernandes - 6.5/10
Didn't have anywhere near as much involvement in the match as he typically does for Manchester United. Fernandes sprayed some good passes about but didn't create much of any note.
RW: Pedro Neto - 5.5/10
Was dealt with quite well by Maehle. Neto had energy and helped his side out defensively but flattered to deceive in the attacking third of the pitch.
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo - 6/10
Had no significant chances in front of goal and looked off the pace when linking up with his fellow attackers.
LW: Rafael Leao - 6.5/10
Looked to drive forward whenever he got the ball but Kristensen cut him out more often than not.
SUB: Nelson Semedo - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Ruben Neves - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Goncalo Inacio - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Bernardo Silva - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Man of the Match
Diogo Costa
Diogo Costa in action for Portugal
Despite being on the losing side, Diogo Costa had an excellent performance between the sticks for Portugal and if it wasn't for him, they would've conceded three or four goals more than they did.
The Portugal number one kicked off his night of excellent saves with possibly his most simple of the night to keep out Christian Eriksen's penalty, but after that, he made mostly world-class saves with the pick of the bunch being his one where he had to get down low to keep out Mika Biereth's scuffed shot which looked like it was destined to nestle into the bottom corner.