Portugal's first match since Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement ended in a crushing 4-1 home defeat by Denmark in the Nations League on Saturday. The match was played in Braga, where Ronaldo's teammates wore shirts bearing his name and number seven during the national anthem. Supporters also unfurled a banner reading "Obrigado, capi7ão" — "Thank you, captain" — alongside images of him lifting the European Championship and Nations League trophies.
Despite dominating much of the first half in pouring rain, Portugal fell behind shortly before halftime. Rasmus Hojlund had a header ruled out for a foul before another aerial effort struck Ruben Dias' hand, resulting in a penalty for Denmark. Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg drove the penalty into the top-right corner shortly before halftime, giving Denmark the lead.
Hojlund doubled Denmark's advantage five minutes after the interval, slipping behind the defence to meet a cross from the right with a powerful volley. He scored again seven minutes later, cutting inside Renato Veiga on a counter-attack before firing a right-footed shot past Diogo Costa from the edge of the box. This put Denmark up 3-0, leaving Portugal with a difficult task to mount a comeback.
Joachim Andersen completed the rout in the 75th minute, rising to power home a towering header from inside the area after Mathias Jensen delivered a free kick from the right. Portugal did manage to score a consolation goal through Bernardo Silva three minutes into added time, but it was too little, too late to change the outcome of the match.
In the other League A Group Four match, Norway beat Wales 3-1 in Oslo. Antonio Nusa and Andreas Schjelderup scored before Erling Haaland's late penalty sealed victory for Norway. This result left Portugal top of the group on 12 points, three ahead of Denmark, with Norway third on six and Wales bottom on three.
One round of league-phase matches remains, with Wales hosting Portugal and Denmark at home to Norway on Tuesday. Portugal's midfielder Joao Palhinha expressed disappointment with the result, saying "practically everything went wrong for us" and that it was "an unlucky night for us." However, he remained optimistic about Portugal's chances of securing top spot in the group.
Norway's win was secured through a combination of goals from Nusa, Schjelderup, and Haaland's penalty. Wales' David Brooks gave his team hope with a goal in the 79th minute, but Connor Roberts' foul on Schjelderup led to Haaland's decisive penalty in the 88th minute. The result left Norway in a strong position ahead of the final round of matches.
Key points
- Denmark's 4-1 win over Portugal was a significant upset, given Portugal's dominance of the match in the first half.
- Rasmus Hojlund's two goals helped Denmark secure the win and move up the group standings.
- Portugal still top the group on 12 points, but face a tough match against Wales on Tuesday to secure top spot.
