"Worse than Fernando Santos", "Sack him now" - Fans want Portugal's Roberto Martinez sacked as Cristiano Ronaldo's side lose to Denmark

Fans have demanded the sacking of coach Roberto Martinez after Portugal clashed with Denmark in the first leg of the Nations League quarterfinals. Seleção das Quinas fell short as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Parken Stadium.

Portugal and Denmark set up a clash in the last eight of the Nations League after both sides finished as group winners and runners-up in their respective groups. While Roberto Martinez’s side had more quality, Denmark ignored their underdog status as the early stages of the game saw both sides exchange blows.

The Danish Dynamite looked more dangerous after the 20 minutes. Their strong start seemed to pay off midway through the first half as they won a spot kick after Renato Veiga was penalized for handling the ball in the 18-yard area.

However, Portugal were granted a temporary reprieve as Diogo Costa foiled Christian Eriksen from the spot (24’) and made sure the first 45 minutes ended goalless.

Denmark started the second half with more determination as Costa was forced to deny goal-bound efforts from Gustav Isaksen and Rasmus Hojlund. Martinez's side regained control of the game midway through the second half, but it was Denmark who scored the opener.

A fantastic Denmark build-up saw Andreas Skov Olsen receive the ball and then square it to Hojlund, who sent Costa the wrong way to score his first of the Nations League. Portugal huffed and puffed for an equalizer in the closing stages of the match.

In the end, a lone goal was enough for Denmark to take an advantage ahead of the second leg at Estádio José Alvalade.

After the match, a lot of people were not happy with the fact that Portugal lost as they took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam Roberto Martinez.

An X user wrote:

‘‘Omg sack Roberto Martinez now 😭 What did I just watch''

Another tweeted:

‘‘Roberto Martinez cannot be the manager of the Portugal team. My word that was a shocking performance with all that talent''

‘‘We can't blame the players, there's no way all of them suddenly decided to play like absolute amateurs in one night. Roberto Martínez needs to go!'' @huzcw7l wrote.

‘‘He worst than Fernando Santos'' @vaquerbliss claimed.

‘‘If losing the 2nd leg means Martinez is a goner then viva Denmark'' @L9ines_ added.

Roberto Martinez laments ''worst performance in the last two years'' after Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Denmark

Portugal national team head coach Robert Martinez was unhappy with his side’s performance after they fell to a 1-0 defeat in Denmark. Martinez blamed his side's lack of intensity and praised Denmark’s effective pressure.

The Spanish manager said after the match (via beIN Sports):

‘‘It was our worst performance in the last two years. During the game we didn't do what we had to do to play with the atmosphere and the aggressiveness that Denmark have. We need games like that. There was a five-month break, and we didn't come out with the intensity we needed.

‘‘Denmark's pressure was very effective. It would have been very easy to play long balls and not try to improve as a team. We suffered at times and Diogo Costa gave us an opportunity to go into the second leg with confidence.''

Roberto Martinez’s men will play the second leg of their Nations League quarterfinal clash with Denmark on Sunday, March 23.