Portugal eventually defeated Denmark, but both sides were guilty of several defensive lapses. Much of this match was decided out on the wings, and in the first half it was the Portuguese that largely controlled them. In contrast to the chiefly counter-attacking approach adopted against Germany, Paulo Bento's men, although lining up as the same 4-3-3, demonstrated some initiative here. Nani and Joao Pereira on one flank, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Coentrao on the other, managed to get behind the Danish defence.
Nani was particularly effective against left-back Simon Poulsen, who had a poor game. Denmark's back four looked out of shape, and its moves were largely bogged down in midfield (the trio of Veloso, Moutinho and Meireles had much to do with it).
As much as Portugal dominated play on the flanks — the lack of a genuine number 10 left no other option — it was equally susceptible there. Ronaldo, as is his wont, rarely tracked back, and the right-back Lars Jacobsen was allowed a great deal of room on the right. He had a role to play in both Danish goals. Coentrao and Pereira sat deep in the second half, and thus invited the pressure. The winner only came when the former was forced to be offensive again.
Keywords: Portugal vs Denmark, Euro 2012
