A towering header deep into injury-time from Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal a 1-0 win over Denmark in their Euro-2016 qualifier on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid forward rose magnificently to head home a cross from Ricardo Quaresma five minutes into time added on, earning a welcome first win for Portugal’s new coach Fernando Santos.
Portugal lost their opening match in qualifying Group I 1-0 at home to Albania last month, a result that led to the departure of former coach Paulo Bento.
And they then went down 2-1 to France in a friendly on Saturday in their first game under Santos.
Albania, whose game with Serbia was abandoned before half-time in Belgrade on Tuesday after an incident involving a drone, still top Group I with four points from two games, above Denmark on goal difference, while Portugal are a point back.
Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel made a double save from Ronaldo as early as the seventh minute, and the stopper was equally impressive saving from Nani a few minutes later.
With the Danes dominating, Portugal saw Michael Krohn-Dehli’s 34th-minute shot hit a post to send the teams in 0-0 at half-time. And the game looked destined to end in a stalemate before Portugal’s talisman grabbed the winner and the headlines at the death.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania had to be abandoned when a drone sporting the Albanian flag flew over the stadium, sparking fury among fans and players.
The Group I tie was halted in the 41st minute after the appearance of the flag triggered clashes between the two teams on the pitch.
Serbian fans hurled smoke bombs and other missiles onto the pitch in protest in a game from which Albanian fans had been barred.
Relations between Tirana and Belgrade have been fragile over Kosovo, a former Serbian province, and the ethnic Albanian minority in southern Serbia, who often demand more autonomy.
In Belgrade, some see Tirana’s interest as part of a plan aimed at creating a “Greater Albania” that would unite Albanian communities in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and southern Serbia.
Kosovo’s independence has been recognised by more than 100 countries, including the United States and most European Union member states.
Kosovo, the former Serbian province comprised mainly of Albanians, proclaimed its unilateral independence in February 2008.
In an added twist, the brother of Albania’s prime minister was arrested in Belgrade later, accused of starting the trouble, Serbian state television RTS reported.
RTS cited the Serbian Interior Ministry to say that Olsi Rama controlled a drone from his seat in an executive box in the stadium carrying a “Greater Albanian” flag which flew over the pitch, triggering the clashes between the two teams as some of the 20,000 home fans tried to assault Albanian players.
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