No Ronaldo, no problem: Portugal outgun Denmark in six-goal thriller after star's shock exit
Portugal made light of Cristiano Ronaldo's abrupt departure from the camp as they swept to a thrilling 4-2 Nations League win over Denmark in Copenhagen on Thursday, staying perfect after three games of their title defence in Group A4.
The defending champions were playing their first match since Ronaldo left the setup on Wednesday, saying he would "tell the truth" about his reported row with head coach Jorge Jesus "in due time". But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was barely missed, with João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha and João Félix all scoring in a dominant away display.
"It will never be any player that will change my ideas as coach. Never. Not him, not anyone in football," Jesus said when asked about the forward's shock exit.
How the six-goal thriller unfolded
Denmark began brightly, and after Rasmus Højlund failed to get a touch on Adam Daghim's ball across the face of the Portugal goal, the visitors started to take control, with Ramos turning Cancelo's scuffed cross-shot against the left post.
The lead arrived just nine seconds after that near miss. Daghim's attempt to kickstart a Denmark counter-attack was cut out by Cancelo, who exchanged passes with Ramos before clipping a cute finish over Mads Hermansen.
Rafael Leão, wearing the iconic No. 7 shirt following Ronaldo's departure, forced Hermansen into action before Denmark struck back in stunning fashion, Mikkel Damsgaard curling a glorious effort into the far corner from the left of the box in the 23rd minute.
But the hosts were not level for long. Two minutes later Ramos finished off another lovely Portugal move, backheeling skilfully to captain Bruno Fernandes before darting in behind, racing onto his return pass and prodding into the near corner.
Hermansen denied Ramos and Fernandes either side of half-time — the first of those saves coming after he cheaply conceded possession himself — but Højlund dragged Denmark level eight minutes after the restart. He lobbed Diogo Costa following Damsgaard's defence-splitting pass, then taunted the visitors by copying Ronaldo's iconic "siuuu" celebration.
Portugal refused to go away, though. After Ramos' acrobatic effort whistled over the crossbar, Vitinha ghosted onto Fernandes' cross and nodded past Hermansen at his near post with 67 minutes on the clock. And there was still time for Ronaldo's Al-Nassr team-mate João Félix to add a fourth, sweeping home a cutback from fellow substitute Diogo Dalot three minutes from time.
Portugal's attack thrives without Ronaldo
As is so often the case with Portugal, all the headlines in the build-up to Thursday's game were dominated by one man. Ronaldo may be the all-time leading scorer in men's internationals, with 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country, but at least on this evidence Portugal are perhaps better off without him in the lineup.
The combinations for their first two goals — both of which involved Ramos, the man leading the line in Ronaldo's absence — were slick, and Portugal generated 19 shots and 2.74 expected goals (xG) compared to Denmark's 12 shots and 0.67 xG.
Højlund celebrated mischievously after making it 2-2, but of all the goals, Vitinha's looked the most like something out of the Ronaldo playbook. Despite his stature as one of the shortest players on the pitch, the Paris Saint-Germain star scored his first senior international goal — on his 46th cap — with a perfect downward header.
Ramos repays the faith as the Ronaldo storm rolls on
The drama had been brewing for days. Portugal's previous outing, a 2-1 win over Erling Haaland's Norway in Oslo on September 28, had already seen Ronaldo left on the bench for the full 90 minutes — a decision Jesus described as tactical, with João Félix and Ramos scoring either side of Haaland's strike.
Denmark coach Brian Riemer had warned on the eve of the game against writing Ronaldo off, pointing to his authority within a squad of strong personalities. "There's something called hierarchy. There are many strong personalities in a team like Portugal. Who will make decisions and set the terms? It can be a big challenge," Riemer said. "Definitely, you shouldn't underestimate Ronaldo's importance when he plays. Portugal's best team is with Ronaldo playing."
Ronaldo's form under Jesus made his sudden exit all the more striking: he scored 29 goals in 33 games for Al-Nassr during the 2025-26 campaign, averaging a goal every 99 minutes. Ramos, meanwhile, has managed just one Serie A goal for Milan this season, but delivered a timely reminder of his quality when handed the central striking role on Thursday.
Whatever happens next in the standoff between player and coach, Portugal's perfect start to Group A4 — three wins from three — suggests the show, and the goals, will go on.