Ronaldo-less Portugal suffer humiliating home defeat to Denmark in Nations League
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Portugal suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Denmark on Saturday in their first match since Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football, marking a disastrous start to life without their legendary captain.
The defeat at the Estádio Municipal de Braga in the UEFA Nations League was particularly painful for Portugal, who had entered the encounter in strong form after winning their previous four matches in the competition.
Denmark dominated large portions of the encounter, exposing Portugal’s defensive weaknesses and capitalising on crucial opportunities to secure an emphatic away victory.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg opened the scoring for Denmark in the 43rd minute, converting a penalty after VAR review determined that Portugal defender Rúben Dias had handled the ball inside the box.
Rasmus Højlund doubled Denmark’s advantage five minutes into the second half, producing a fine volley from inside the penalty area after receiving an assist from Mikkel Damsgaard.
Højlund struck again in the 57th minute, finishing a through ball from Højbjerg to put Denmark 3-0 ahead and leave the Portuguese side struggling to recover.
Denmark extended their advantage in the 75th minute when Joachim Andersen headed home a free kick delivered by Mathias Jensen, making it 4-0.
Portugal managed a late consolation through Bernardo Silva, who fired home a rebound in the 93rd minute to reduce the deficit to 4-1.
The result came at a significant moment for Portuguese football, following Ronaldo’s announcement on November 5 that he was ending his 23-year international career.
The 41-year-old forward, who made 234 appearances and scored a record 146 goals for Portugal, confirmed his decision in a farewell message, saying it was time to hand over the iconic No. 7 shirt to the next generation.
Ronaldo captained Portugal to their first European Championship title in 2016 and helped the country win the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, establishing himself as one of the most influential figures in the national team’s history.
His retirement followed a difficult period involving tensions with head coach Jorge Jesus after Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up against Norway and subsequently left the national team’s training camp.
Ahead of Saturday’s encounter, Portugal had already secured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals and needed only a point to guarantee top spot in their group.