Portugal’s four goals in Copenhagen did not erase the shadow hanging over the national side, but they changed the sound around it. A 4-2 win over Denmark in the third round of the Nations League group stage delivered a third victory in three matches for Jorge Jesus’s team, achieved one day after Cristiano Ronaldo left the squad.
The performance was widely framed in Portugal as proof that the collective could withstand the captain’s departure. Ronaldo had exited the camp on Wednesday amid a dispute that had dominated the build-up, yet Portugal responded against a Denmark side regarded as a difficult opponent, moving into a strong position to reach the Nations League quarter-finals.
Jesus kept his public message centred on the result. “Names do not matter; only winning matters,” he said after the match. Asked whether he believed the country was behind him, the coach admitted uncertainty: “I do not know. I would like to know.”
A first match without Ronaldo
The Denmark fixture was Portugal’s first since Ronaldo’s departure and the 66th international match the country has played without him since his senior debut in August 2003. The 4-2 result extended the side’s momentum, even as the debate over the absent captain remained impossible to avoid.
Ronaldo had reportedly intended to make a public apology before leaving the camp. His international totals could now remain at 234 appearances and 146 goals, while the squad were instructed not to address the matter publicly. Renato Veiga, who said he has a close relationship with Ronaldo, confirmed that players had been asked not to discuss the situation.
“I am very close to Ronaldo and he knows I have great affection for him, but I was asked not to speak about this issue,” Veiga said.
Portuguese sports newspapers gave the victory differing treatments. One placed Ronaldo at the centre of its front page with the “CR11” line, suggesting a side no longer operating as a team of 10 around its biggest name. Others focused on the attacking display and the four goals scored in Copenhagen, describing the result as the start of a possible new phase for the Seleção.
One front page hailed Portugal’s “high artistic mark” while using Jesus’s uncertainty over public support as its central quote; Ronaldo’s name did not appear there. The wider coverage portrayed the win as the response required after a turbulent week, with Portugal showing character as well as quality under pressure.
The present dispute has also revived memories of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when tensions between Ronaldo and then Portugal coach Fernando Santos were seen as a major issue within the camp. A reader poll involving more than 25,000 votes placed most responsibility for the latest episode on Ronaldo: 19,015 votes, or 75.7 per cent. Jesus received 3,991 votes, representing 15.9 per cent, while Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença was backed by 2,103 voters, or 8.4 per cent.
For now, however, the football has given Portugal a clearer immediate picture: nine points from nine, four goals in Denmark, and a squad attempting to move forward without its most famous figure.
