BRAGA (The Thursday Times) — Rasmus Hojlund ke do goals ki badolat Denmark ne hafte ko Braga mein Nations League ke match mein Portugal ko 4-1 se shikast de di. Cristiano Ronaldo ke international football se retire hone ke baad mezban team ka yeh pehla match tha, aur use apne hi maidan par bhaari haar ka samna karna para.
Match se pehle Portugal ke khilari aur un ke saath aane wale bachay aisi shirts pehan kar maidan mein aaye jin par Ronaldo ka saat number aur un ka naam likha tha. Shaiqeen ne ek banner utha rakha tha jis par likha tha “Shukriya, kaptaan”, aur jab ghari saatwein minute par pahunchi to poore stadium ne taaliyan bajayin.
Denmark shuru se behtar team rahi aur waqfe se do minute pehle bartari hasil kar li. Hojlund ka header Ruben Dias ke baazu se takraya, aur VAR ke jaize ke baad Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ne penalty par goal kar diya.
Waqfe ke baad chaar minute mein Hojlund ne Mikkel Damsgaard ke pass par aqbi post se volley laga kar bartari dugni kar di. Ek ghanta mukammal hone se pehle unhon ne teesra goal bhi kar diya: penalty area ke kinare par apne marker ko chakma de kar unhon ne neecha shot Diogo Costa ke paas se jaal mein pahuncha diya.
75wein minute mein mutabadil khilari Mathias Jensen ke cross par Joachim Andersen ne header se chautha goal kiya, aur Estadio Municipal mein hooting shuru ho gayi. Izafi waqt mein Mads Hermansen ne Joao Neves ki koshish roki to Bernardo Silva ne qareeb se gend jaal mein pahuncha di; yeh match ki aakhri kick thi.
Denmark ko sirf draw darkaar
Is fatah ke baad Denmark paanch matches mein nau points ke saath Group A4 mein doosre number par aa gaya hai. Woh Portugal se teen points peechhe hai, jo apne pehle chaaron group match jeet kar quarter-final mein jagah pehle hi pakki kar chuka tha. Mangal ko Norway ke khilaf apne maidan par draw Denmark ko agle marhale mein pahuncha dega. Norway ne hafte ko hi Oslo mein Wales ko 3-1 se shikast di thi.
Match ke aadad-o-shumar ke mutabiq Portugal ne 15 shots lagaye lekin zyada mauqe na bana saka, aur hamle ki qayadat karne wale Goncalo Ramos ek bhi shot na laga sake.
Ronaldo ne coach Jorge Jesus se ikhtilafat ke baad isi maah retirement ka elaan kiya tha, jis ke saath un ka 23 saala international career khatam ho gaya. Is dauran unhon ne 146 goals aur 234 matches ke saath mardon ke aalmi record qaim kiye. Portugal apna aakhri group match Wales ke khilaf khelega.
