Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Nations League as Ronaldo camp exit dominates headlines
Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Sunday in the UEFA Nations League, extending their lead in the group, while the match was overshadowed by the ongoing dispute over Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the national team camp.
Match report
At Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Jorge Jesus's Portugal side beat Denmark 4-2 on Sunday, according to RTP. João Cancelo opened the scoring in the 13th minute after combining with Gonçalo Ramos, who later scored himself from a Bruno Fernandes assist. Vitinha added a header for his first goal for the national team, and substitute João Félix sealed the win. Denmark's goals came from Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Højlund, the latter celebrating in a manner resembling Cristiano Ronaldo. A live blog from CNN Portugal covering the middle of the match recorded a 2-2 scoreline at that stage, consistent with the game before Portugal pulled away in the second half.
The win was Portugal's third in three matches under Jesus and extended their lead at the top of the group to 9 points, ahead of Denmark, Norway and Wales, who are tied on 3 points each. Wales beat Norway 2-1 at home.
Ronaldo controversy in the background
The match was played under heavy media attention following Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial departure from the national team camp earlier in the week. According to A Bola, one likely cause of the dispute was Jesus's decision to keep starting Gonçalo Ramos instead of Ronaldo, who had not been used in the previous match against Norway. The outlet also reports that Francisco Conceição is injured but is expected to be fit for Portugal's next match against Norway, scheduled for Sunday at Dragão Stadium in Porto.
Carlos Godinho, a former national teams director at the Portuguese football federation, told the Lusa news agency, as quoted by CNN Portugal, that he regretted how the situation unfolded, saying he believed the dispute could have been resolved internally rather than becoming public. He recalled seeing Ronaldo on the training pitch in his kit drinking coffee — a detail he described as a sign that something was wrong. Godinho said he hoped the 41-year-old forward's 23-year national team career had not ended this way.
Separately, 20 Minutes placed the episode in a wider context, comparing it to other athletes who mismanaged the end of their careers, including Diego Maradona at the 1994 World Cup and Boris Becker, noting that Ronaldo currently has 979 career goals and is chasing the milestone of 1,000.
