Portugal win 4-2 in Denmark a day after Ronaldo walks out
Without Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the squad on 30 September, Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen to make it three Nations League wins from three.
Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on 1 October, a day after Cristiano Ronaldo left the national team's training camp. Ronaldo did not play, per ESPN. Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix scored for Portugal; Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund scored for Denmark in front of 35,951 spectators. The win was Portugal's third from three in their UEFA Nations League group and leaves them on a maximum nine points.
The walkout
Ronaldo left the camp on 30 September, the day before the match, per Euronews. He explained the decision on Instagram. "Following the national team manager's press conference and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the national team's training camp. In time, I will tell all the Portuguese the truth about the reasons that motivated me to leave," he wrote, as quoted by The National.
The National reported it was the first time in Ronaldo's 23 years with Portugal that he had walked out of an international camp. Al Jazeera reported that he left after coach Jorge Jesus told him he would be benched again following the Norway game. Jesus was appointed Portugal coach in July on a contract through 2030, per The Portugal News.
The minutes had already been shrinking. Ronaldo started the 1-0 win over Wales on 24 September, had seven shots, saw a goal ruled out for offside by VAR and was substituted in the 67th minute, per Sky Sports; Felix scored the winner. Three days later he was an unused substitute in the 2-1 win in Norway, per Al Jazeera.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed Ronaldo had left and said preparations would continue with the 24 remaining players, without giving a reason or mentioning disciplinary action, per Yahoo Sports. Under the federation's disciplinary rules a player who leaves national-team duty without justification can face a suspension of one to six months and a fine, beIN Sports reported, though the federation has not said whether it will act.
Before the match Jesus promised an explanation later. "I will explain everything after the last game. I have many years in soccer and I know that I did nothing that should have caused things to go differently. Nobody can take away what [Cristiano] represents. He's an icon and that's not in question," he said, per World Soccer Talk.
Six goals in Copenhagen
Ramos started in Ronaldo's place, per Al Jazeera, and set up the opener: Cancelo's right-footed shot from the centre of the box in the 13th minute. Damsgaard equalised in the 23rd minute from Joakim Maehle's assist, and Ramos restored the lead two minutes later from Bruno Fernandes's through ball. Hojlund made it 2-2 in the 53rd minute on a fast break set up by Damsgaard. Vitinha headed Portugal back in front in the 67th minute from a Fernandes assist, and Felix, a substitute in the 81st minute, finished from Diogo Dalot's pass in the 87th.
| Minute | Team | Scorer | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13' | Portugal | Joao Cancelo | Goncalo Ramos |
| 23' | Denmark | Mikkel Damsgaard | Joakim Maehle |
| 25' | Portugal | Goncalo Ramos | Bruno Fernandes |
| 53' | Denmark | Rasmus Hojlund | Mikkel Damsgaard |
| 67' | Portugal | Vitinha (header) | Bruno Fernandes |
| 87' | Portugal | Joao Felix | Diogo Dalot |
Denmark had more of the ball, 53.7 per cent possession, and completed 457 of 527 passes. Portugal had 19 shots to Denmark's 12 and put 10 on target to Denmark's three; Denmark goalkeeper Mads Hermansen made six saves. Ramos led all players with six shots. Denmark were without Patrick Dorgu and Albert Gronbaek, both with muscle injuries, and Christian Eriksen, per Yahoo Sports.
| Stat | Denmark | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 53.7% | 46.3% |
| Shots (on target) | 12 (3) | 19 (10) |
| Passes completed | 457 of 527 | 375 of 449 |
| Corners | 4 | 7 |
| Saves | 6 | 1 |
| Fouls | 6 | 12 |
The group and what comes next
Portugal top the group on nine points with a goal difference of plus four. Denmark, Norway and Wales are level on three points each after Wales beat Norway 2-1 on the same night. Denmark had lost 3-2 in Norway on 24 September and beaten Wales 2-0 on 27 September.
The result also follows the sides' two meetings in March 2025, when Denmark won 1-0 in Copenhagen and Portugal won 5-2 at home.
After the match Jesus focused on the team. "The Portuguese national team put on a world-class performance today. That is the most important thing to me right now. The things that happened recently have not separated the group. And they will not separate us," he said, per SI.com.
Portugal play Norway on 4 October and Denmark face Wales the same day, per ESPN.