Portugal suffer their heaviest defeat in Ronaldo's absence in 23 years
Portugal's 4-1 defeat to visitors Denmark on Saturday evening, in the fifth round of the European Nations League group stage at the Braga Municipal Stadium, marked a notable negative record linked to the absence of Portugal's legend, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal have not suffered a heavier defeat without their historic captain for more than 23 years.
The last time they lost by more than a single goal without Ronaldo dates back to 6 September 2003, when Spain beat them three goals to nil. That came just weeks after "the Don's" first international appearance, against Kazakhstan on 20 August of that same year.
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Four goals went past the Portuguese for the first time since the 4-2 defeat to Germany at the European Championship on 19 June 2021.
More brutal still, Portugal trailed by four goals in an official match on home soil for the first time in their history, before Bernardo Silva's late strike trimmed the result to 4-1.
Not since 3 September 2010 had Portugal conceded four at home, when they drew 4-4 with Cyprus in Guimarães.
The defeat to Denmark carried another unwanted record. It is the heaviest Portugal have ever suffered at home in an official match.
This was also their heaviest defeat since the Netherlands beat them three goals to nil in a friendly on 26 June 2018.
Denmark imposed their superiority on the hosts in the second half. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg had opened the scoring from a penalty in the 43rd minute, after Rúben Dias handled.
Rasmus Højlund doubled the lead in the 50th minute, then struck again seven minutes later.
Portugal's suffering went on. Joachim Andersen scored Denmark's fourth in the 75th minute, leaving the hosts facing a historic four-goal deficit in an official match on their own ground.
Bernardo Silva, the Real Madrid player, grabbed a face-saving goal for the hosts in the third minute of added time.
This was Portugal's first match since Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football. A night meant to honour the former captain turned into a miserable evening for the team and its fans.
Ronaldo ended his international career after 234 matches and 146 goals, becoming Portugal's all-time top scorer, as well as leading them to the European Championship title in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League twice, in 2019 and 2025.
Heavy defeat and all, Portugal kept top spot in Group 4 of the Nations League's top tier. They had already booked their place in the quarter-finals before kick-off, and their tally stayed at 12 points. Denmark climbed to 9, keeping their hopes alive before the final round.
