Portugal suffered a 4-1 loss against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday night after Pierre-Emile Højbjerg converted a penalty in the 43rd minute, Rasmus Højlund scored twice, and Joachim Andersen added a header at the Estádio Municipal in Braga.
Bernardo Silva scored a late consolation goal in the 93rd minute for the home side, according to sportschau.de. The defeat ended Portugal’s unbeaten run in Group 4 of League A and prevented manager Jorge Jesus’s squad from securing early group victory.
The match in Braga marked Portugal’s first outing since Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football in early November. Players walked onto the pitch wearing the number 7 jersey, and supporters displayed a massive banner reading “Obrigado, Capi7ao” before applauding in the seventh minute.
“The day has come when I must give back the number 7 shirt of our national team. I never felt it was exclusively mine,” Ronaldo said in a video message published by sportschau.de. “It was not an easy decision, because there are decisions you don’t only make with your head. You make them with your heart too.”
Ronaldo departed the national team setup following a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus during the September training camp, leading to a 30-day suspension by the Portuguese Football Federation. Prior to the game, the federation announced that the number 7 shirt would receive a new design to honor the record-holder who scored 146 goals across 234 appearances.
The first half remained largely balanced until a late breakthrough for the visitors. Following a disallowed offside goal by Rasmus Højlund, Denmark received a penalty for a handball that Højbjerg converted just before halftime, web.de reported.
Højlund doubled the lead five minutes after the restart with a volley past a porous Portuguese defense. The 23-year-old striker scored his second in the 57th minute by bypassing the central defense, and Andersen extended the lead to four goals with a header from a free-kick delivery in the 75th minute.
Despite the defeat, Portugal retains control of its group destiny ahead of a final fixture against Wales. Meanwhile, Germany faces potential playoff pressure in the battle for League A survival depending on results in upcoming group fixtures managed by coach Jürgen Klopp.
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