Portugal suffered a heavy defeat to Denmark (1-4) yesterday (Saturday) in the UEFA Nations League in what was the Portuguese side’s first match since Cristiano Ronaldo made his retirement from the national team public.
Although he was not present in the northern city of Braga, Ronaldo drew the spotlight and was the subject of numerous tributes, both from the crowd and from his teammates, who took to the field wearing his number seven shirt.
Already in their usual shirt numbers, the Portuguese not only had difficulty getting their game going, but also struggled greatly to stop the Danes’ surges, who, whenever they approached Diogo Costa’s goal, did so with space and danger.
Portugal still managed to partly restore the balance, but the Nordics kept creating danger, while also preventing midfielders of the caliber of Bruno Fernandes or Vitinha from linking up with their teammates in attack.
Shortly before halftime, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg converted a penalty that opened the scoring and gave Denmark a lead that was deserved.
Second Half
The fortunes of the current UEFA Nations League champions worsened considerably in the second half, as, in the 50th minute, Denmark extended its lead thanks to a goal from Rasmus Hojlund.
It was a very well-constructed move by the Danes, who took advantage of the Portuguese passivity, with Damsgaard in the box crossing toward the far post, where Hojlund, with no one marking him, hit it first-time with his left foot.
And just seven minutes later, Hojlund received a through ball from Hojbjerg, got past Portuguese center-back Renato Veiga, and completed his brace, freezing the Municipal Stadium of Braga.
In response to the heavy setback, Portugal manager Jorge Jesus turned to the bench, bringing on Palinha, former Barça player Trincão, and Forbs—who wore the number 7 previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo—although Denmark continued to neutralize the opposing midfield.
Denmark Scores Goal Number 4 In 75′
After a free kick, Joachim Andersen headed the ball with no resistance whatsoever from the Portuguese defense and made an already nightmarish night for Portugal even worse.
In the dying moments, the Madrid player Bernardo Silva took advantage of a half-cleared ball by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and scored a consolation goal for Portugal, although it did not change the outcome of the match.
Portugal, who had already secured qualification for the next phase, will now travel to Cardiff, where next Tuesday they will have the opportunity to lick their wounds against Wales, and a draw will guarantee them first place in Group A4.
On its part, Denmark, second and three points behind the Portuguese, will face its neighbor Norway that same day with the aim of sealing its qualification and even with the possibility of reaching first place.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Portugal’s Joao Palhinha during the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Denmark …dejected.
