UEFA Nations League: Portugal Beat Denmark 4-2 Despite Ronaldo Fallout

Portugal put the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the national team camp aside to beat Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.

The victory extended new coach Jorge Jesus’ perfect start to three wins from three matches, despite the drama that dominated the build-up to the encounter.

Ronaldo’s sudden departure from the training camp on Wednesday had overshadowed preparations for the match after Jesus revealed that the veteran forward would not start against Denmark.

The 41-year-old had already spent the entire 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway on the bench on Sunday. He had captained Portugal in their 1-0 home victory over Wales the previous Thursday.

Ronaldo left the camp after Jesus’ pre-match press conference and a subsequent conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca.

“Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

He added that he would explain his reasons for leaving to the Portuguese people “in due course”, after years of service to the national team.

The controversy, however, did not affect Portugal’s performance as they produced four goals to secure another victory under Jesus.

Jesus had urged his players to focus on the game rather than the issues surrounding Ronaldo.

“After the match, we’ll definitely have time to talk about” the situation, the coach said before kick-off.

Portugal made a bright start and took the lead in the 13th minute through Joao Cancelo.

Denmark responded 10 minutes later when Mikkel Damsgaard curled the ball into the net to bring the hosts level.

The visitors quickly restored their advantage. Goncalo Ramos, who again received Jesus’ backing to lead the attack, finished neatly at the near post only two minutes after Denmark’s equaliser.

Portugal carried their 2-1 lead into the break, but Denmark again fought back shortly after the restart.

Rasmus Hojlund found the equaliser early in the second half, putting the hosts back on level terms and setting up a tense finish.

Portugal responded through Vitinha in the 57th minute. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder headed the visitors back in front as Jesus’ side regained control of the contest.

Denmark continued to push for a third equaliser, but Portugal delivered the decisive moment with three minutes remaining.

Substitute Joao Felix finished a rapid counter-attack to put the result beyond Denmark and complete a 4-2 victory.

The result gave Jesus his third consecutive win since taking charge of Portugal, while the team showed little sign of being distracted by the dispute involving their record goalscorer.

For Portugal, attention now turns to maintaining their winning run as the Ronaldo controversy continues to generate questions about the forward’s relationship with the national team.