Portugal’s national football team lost 1-4 to Denmark in Braga on Thursday, marking a difficult start to the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era.
The defeat served as the first loss for the team under head coach Jorge Jesus during the current Nations League campaign.
The match, held in rainy conditions at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, followed the announcement of Ronaldo’s retirement from international football one week prior. To honor the former captain, the Portuguese starting lineup took the field wearing jerseys bearing his name and the number seven. According to n-tv.de, fans inside the stadium displayed a banner reading “Obrigado, Capi7ao,” and a round of applause broke out in the seventh minute.
Despite the pre-match tributes, the Danish side controlled the rhythm of the game. The deadlock broke in the 43rd minute when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg converted a penalty kick following a handball by Rúben Dias, as reported by sport.ORF.at.
Denmark extended its lead early in the second half. Rasmus Højlund scored twice within seven minutes, first volleying a cross from Mikkel Damsgaard in the 50th minute and then finding the far corner in the 57th minute to make it 3-0. Joachim Andersen added a fourth goal with a header in the 75th minute.
Bernardo Silva managed to score a consolation goal for Portugal during stoppage time.
The loss does not impact Portugal’s progression to the quarterfinals, as the team had already secured its spot in the knockout stage prior to the match. For Denmark, the victory maintains their position in Group A4, where they remain in contention for the second qualifying ticket alongside Norway.
In the second match of the group, Norway defeated Wales 3-1 in Oslo. Antonio Nusa and Andreas Schjelderup provided the home side with a two-goal lead before David Brooks pulled one back for the visitors.
Erling Haaland secured the result with an 88th-minute penalty, marking his 66th goal in 60 international appearances, according to data from sport.ORF.at.
The result sets up a decisive meeting between Denmark and Norway in Copenhagen on Tuesday. The winner of that match will secure the final quarterfinal spot from Group A4.
The defeat was Portugal’s first under Jorge Jesus, who took charge of the team five games ago. The transition follows a period of tension within the squad; n-tv.de reports that Ronaldo had previously left a training camp in September following a dispute with the coach regarding playing time.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) subsequently issued a 30-day suspension and a fine to the player. Following his retirement, the FPF announced that the number seven jersey would receive a new design to commemorate the legacy of the 2016 European champion. The federation said that the change serves as a way to “perpetuate the meaning of such a special number” and honor its legacy.
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