Denmark thought they had earned a valuable point at home to Portugal in their Euro 2016 Group I clash in Copenhagen on Tuesday but Cristiano Ronaldo popped up in stoppage time to deny both gravity and the Danes.
The Portuguese captain had a quiet night until he burst into life in the dying moments, first getting booked in the final minute of normal time before jumping up and seemingly hanging in the air before powering home the winner deep into stoppage time.
“That’s Cristiano Ronaldo, he has everything,” disappointed Danish defender Simon Kjaer told Reuters after the 1-0 defeat.
“He’s probably still hanging up there, and he’s putting that goal in and it’s very frustrating.”
Kjaer took the lion’s share of the responsibility for shackling the Portugal captain during the game and looked to have succeeded as it drew to a close.
Suddenly, Ronaldo struck.“That situation at the end? He’s a world-class striker, he wasn’t having his biggest game, which is a compliment for us, but compliments to him for dealing with that cross that well. Frustrating for us.”
Kjaer’s sentiments were echoed by right-back Lars Jacobsen, who had to deal with Ronaldo occasionally roaming out to his wing on a wet night.
“That goal was a glimpse of his class, that header was superb,” Jacobsen said. “Good timing, good jumping ability and he put it right in the top corner. It’s why he’s the world’s best player.”
For most of the night, the Danes managed to stop Ronaldo setting off on his trademark surging runs, with an unfortunate slip by Daniel Agger offering him his only opportunity to attack at pace.
In the end it was a set piece that he scored from, which prompted coach Morten Olsen to call his team “unprofessional”, but Jacobsen preferred to give the Real Madrid attacker credit for his execution.
“When he jumps that early and stays in the air that long, it’s difficult for the defender and the goalkeeper. It’s just his class, we see it week after week.
“We see it in the Champions League and, unfortunately for us he did it again today.”