Cristiano Ronaldo eager to improve in qualifiers
Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo has said that his national team is eager to put their dreadful start to the Euro 2012 qualifiers behind them against Denmark on Friday.
Portugal have only collected one point during their qualifying campaign. It came in a 4–4 draw to Cyprus in Lisbon. After dropping two points unexpectedly, the team produced another disappointing performance in Norway, losing 1–0 as Erik Huseklepp got the
game's only goal.
"The past is past, now we have to think about this," the Real Madrid star said at a press conference. "If we win the next two games, we will breathe a little better. We are in a difficult situation, but the team is fine. We are anxious for Friday to come,
and to win."
Denmark enter Friday's encounter on the back of a 1–0 win over Iceland in the first round of the qualifiers. Confidence should not be an issue for Morten Olsen's team, given their strong record against Portugal.
In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Denmark defeated Portugal 3–2 in Lisbon before drawing 1–1 in Copenhagen.
Paulo Bento's first fixture in charge
The Portuguese camp, meanwhile, is likely to be less harmonious. Former manager Carlos Queiroz was sacked in September after being handed a six-month suspension for interrupting doping agents prior to the World Cup.
The game against Denmark will be new manager Paulo Bento's first international fixture as manager.
“We have lost at home to Denmark before but this will be a different story. The team is confident, and I am confident. We will give a good response, and we will win.”
Norway top Group H with six points from two games, while Denmark are second on three points, with one game in hand. With two games already played, Portugal are fourth after securing a point against Cyprus.
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