Portugal endure a total nightmare at Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell
Portugal suffered a painful Nations League defeat on Saturday evening as Denmark beat coach Jorge Jesus's side 4-1 at the Estádio Municipal in Braga. Much of the evening was devoted to Cristiano Ronaldo's farewell to the Portugal national team.
Before the match, Portugal paid an extensive tribute to Ronaldo, who announced on 5 November that he was ending his international career. As the players came out, eleven people wearing the former captain's kit walked onto the pitch, followed by a tribute from the stands. CR7 was honoured again in the seventh minute. His image appeared on the big screen as the crowd applauded and chanted his name.
Portugal put Denmark under pressure from the start. Vitinha had the first serious chance after ten minutes, but his shot from a promising position lacked power. The Danes also threatened on the counter-attack, with Mohamed Daramy among those involved.
After just over twenty minutes, Portugal began to create more chances. Mads Hermansen, deputising for Filip Jörgensen, comfortably saved Pedro Neto's shot. A dangerous cross from Diogo Dalot also came to nothing when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg intervened before Neto could finish.
Denmark thought they had taken the lead in the 38th minute when Rasmus Højlund headed in from a rehearsed set piece. The referee disallowed the goal because provider Joachim Andersen had committed a foul. A few minutes later, the ball hit Rúben Dias's arm, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot after VAR intervened.
From twelve yards, Højbjerg gave Diogo Costa no chance in the 43rd minute. The Portugal goalkeeper went the right way but could not keep out the effort. Denmark went into half-time 1-0 up.
The second half quickly turned into a nightmare for the home side. In the 50th minute, Mikkel Damsgaard deftly chipped the ball over the Portugal defence and Højlund met it with a superb first-time volley. Costa had no chance: 0-2.
Trying to fight back, Portugal fell further behind in the 57th minute. Højlund beat Renato Veiga with a subtle move before placing the ball into the net. The forward's second goal of the evening made it 0-3, and Denmark's travelling fans responded by provocatively chanting Lionel Messi's name.
Jesus made a triple substitution in the 63rd minute, bringing on Carlos Forbs (who wore Ronaldo's iconic number 7), Francisco Trincão and João Palhinha for Félix, Neto and Rúben Neves respectively. Trincão had an excellent chance almost immediately after a fine pass from Vitinha, but shot wide.
In the 75th minute, Portugal's humiliation was complete. The newly introduced Mathias Jensen crossed and Andersen headed in: 0-4. Deep into stoppage time, Portugal scored a consolation goal. The goalkeeper saved a shot from Joāo Félix before Bernardo Silva tapped in the rebound from close range: 1-4.
Portugal remain top of Group A in League A of the Nations League despite the defeat and are already assured of a place in the quarter-finals. Second-placed Denmark need a point against Norway in their final match on Tuesday to qualify as well.
