Portugal overcame the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo to secure an entertaining 4-2 victory away to Denmark in the Nations League on Thursday.
Match Report
The defending champions entered the fixture for the first time since Ronaldo left the national team camp unexpectedly on Wednesday. The veteran forward said he would “tell the truth” about his reported disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus “in due time”.
Portugal, however, showed little sign of missing their captain in Copenhagen. Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix were all on target as the Portuguese maintained their perfect record after three Group A4 matches.
Denmark had an early opportunity when Rasmus Hojlund failed to connect with Adam Daghim’s dangerous ball across the face of goal. Portugal soon began to impose themselves, with Ramos seeing a deflected effort from Cancelo’s cross-shot hit the left post.
The visitors took the lead just nine seconds after that near miss. Cancelo intercepted Daghim’s attempted counter-attack before exchanging passes with Ramos and producing a delicate finish over goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
Rafael Leao then tested Hermansen as Portugal continued to threaten, but Denmark responded spectacularly in the 23rd minute. Mikkel Damsgaard curled an outstanding effort from the left side of the box into the far corner to level the contest.
Portugal restored their advantage only two minutes later. Ramos played a clever backheel to Bruno Fernandes before making a run behind the defence. The striker collected Fernandes’ return pass and calmly finished into the near corner.
Hermansen produced important saves from Ramos and Fernandes around half-time, including one after he had surrendered possession cheaply. Denmark eventually equalised eight minutes into the second half when Hojlund raced onto Damsgaard’s defence-splitting pass and lobbed Diogo Costa.
The Denmark forward then celebrated by copying Ronaldo’s famous “siuuu” celebration.
Portugal responded strongly. After Ramos narrowly missed with an acrobatic attempt, Vitinha met Fernandes’ cross and directed a precise header beyond Hermansen at his near post in the 67th minute.
The visitors completed the scoring three minutes from full-time when substitute Joao Felix, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate, swept home a cutback from fellow substitute Diogo Dalot.
Portugal’s Attack Flourishes Without Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s unexpected departure dominated the build-up to the match, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s international record again under the spotlight. He remains the leading scorer in men’s international football, having scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal.
Jesus, however, was unequivocal when questioned about Ronaldo’s departure, saying: “It will never be any player that will change my ideas as coach. Never. Not him, not anyone in football.”
Portugal’s performance suggested their attacking system remained highly effective without their veteran forward. Ramos, who led the line in Ronaldo’s absence, was directly involved in the build-up to both of Portugal’s opening goals.
The visitors registered 19 shots and produced 2.74 expected goals (xG), compared with Denmark’s 12 attempts and 0.67 xG.
Hojlund’s celebration after making it 2-2 added another layer to an already dramatic encounter, but Vitinha ultimately produced the goal most reminiscent of Ronaldo’s style.
Despite being one of the smallest players on the pitch, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder rose to score his first senior international goal with a precise downward header on his 46th appearance for Portugal.
