Cristiano Ronaldo endured a night of mixed emotions as Portugal edged past Denmark in a dramatic Nations League quarter-final second leg in Lisbon.

Despite missing an early penalty, the Portugal captain played a crucial role in a thrilling 5-3 aggregate victory after extra time.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Portugal had an opportunity to level the tie just six minutes into the match when Ronaldo was fouled in the penalty area by Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu.

After a lengthy VAR review upheld the decision, Ronaldo stepped up to take the spot-kick. However, his tame effort was comfortably saved by Kasper Schmeichel, leaving the Al Nassr striker with his head in his hands as Danish players celebrated around their goalkeeper.

It marked the 32nd missed penalty of Ronaldo’s career, nine of which have come in Portugal colours, and rekindled memories of his miss against Denmark in 2006, the first of his illustrious career.

Portugal, undeterred, continued to dominate proceedings and were rewarded seven minutes before halftime. A Bruno Fernandes corner inadvertently struck Fulham defender Joachim Andersen and deflected into his own net, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead on the night and levelling the tie at 1-1 on aggregate.

Ronaldo thought he had doubled Portugal’s lead on the stroke of halftime, only for his close-range finish to be disallowed for offside against Rafael Leão. Moments later, Denmark restored their aggregate advantage through Rasmus Kristensen, whose back-post header made it 1-1 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.

The drama continued into the second half, with Ronaldo at the centre of the action once again. In the 72nd minute, Schmeichel parried Fernandes’ initial shot, but Ronaldo was on hand to bury the rebound from close range, putting Portugal 2-1 up on the night.

Denmark struck back just four minutes later, with Christian Eriksen coolly converting Dorgu’s low cross to level the scores on the night and restore their aggregate lead.

With time running out, Francisco Trincão came to Portugal’s rescue, producing a stunning strike from the edge of the box to make it 3-3 on aggregate and force extra time. Trincão struck again early in the first half of extra time, giving Portugal a crucial lead with a powerful finish.

Gonçalo Ramos sealed the victory in the dying moments of extra time, converting Diogo Jota’s unselfish square ball to make it 5-3 on aggregate and book Portugal’s place in the semi-finals.

Portugal will now face Germany in the semi-finals, after Julian Nagelsmann’s side edged past Italy in a thrilling 5-4 aggregate victory. Roberto Martinez’s men will hope to carry the momentum from their spirited performance into the next round as they bid for Nations League glory.