Nani scored twice in three minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo added another as Portugal beat Denmark 3-1 Friday to collect its first win in European Championship qualifying.
Nani sidefooted first-time into the net from a Ronaldo cross in the 29th and picked up a stray pass by Christian Poulsen to strike a left-foot shot for his second.
Ricardo Carvalho deflected the ball into his own net with 10 minutes to go but Ronaldo sealed it when he was set up by Nani in the 85th.
The Portuguese desperately needed all three points against the Danes after losing against Finland and drawing with Cyprus in its first two qualifiers for the 2012 tournament.
Portugal has four points in Group H. Denmark, which previously beat Iceland, has three.
"I was inspired tonight," Nani said. "I was really focused on this game. We really needed the three points."
With its qualification in danger after its disastrous start, Portugal looked lively under new coach Paulo Bento while Denmark lacked a spark.
Bento, on his debut after replacing Carlos Queiroz who was fired last month, gave midfielder Carlos Martins his first start in two years and picked Joao Pereira for his debut at right-back. Both selections paid off.
"The players are happy and it shows on the pitch," Ronaldo said.
The match was tame in the early stages, and Nani's opening goal was the first clear chance.
Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen went off injured after 30 minutes and was replaced by Anders Lindegaard.
Ronaldo, making his first start in the campaign after missing the opening two matches through injury, forced Lindegaard to dive sharply to his left with a low shot in the 42nd.
The Portuguese remained wary of the Danes who rallied from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in a World Cup qualifier in Lisbon two years ago. Even so, center forward Nicklas Pedersen was mostly a spectator.
Denmark was without key striker Nicklas Bendtner because of a groin injury.
Portugal looked more dangerous as Ronaldo hit the bar and then fired a thundering shot from a long-range free-kick in the 70th. Lindegaard couldn't hold the shot but he blocked Martins' effort to poke in the rebound.
Carvalho knocked the ball into the goal with his chest from a corner before Ronaldo netted his 24th international goal in 77 appearances when he linked up with his former Manchester United teammate Nani.
Lineups:
Portugal: Eduardo, Joao Pereira, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Fabio Coentrao, Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho (Tiago, 75th), Carlos Martins, Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hugo Almeida (Helder Postiga, 70th).
Denmark: Thomas Sorensen (Anders Lindegaard, 32nd), Lars Jacobsen, Per Kroldrup, Simon Kjaer, Michael Silberbauer, Christian Poulsen, William Kvist (Peter Lovenkrands, 73rd), Daniel Jensen (Christian Eriksen, 59th), Dennis Rommedhal, Nicklas Pedersen, Martin Vingaard.
