Sports
Portugal beats Denmark 4-2 in first match without Ronaldo
October 1, 2026 at 11:57 PM · Updated 14d ago
Coverage
11 reports · over 15 hours
Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Thursday, winning their first match since captain Cristiano Ronaldo left the camp.
- Ronaldo departed the Portugal camp Wednesday after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over his exclusion from the Norway match.
- Portugal leads the group with nine points from three consecutive wins.
- Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix scored for Portugal, while Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund scored for Denmark.
- Hojlund celebrated his goal with Ronaldo's signature "Siu" celebration.
- Hojlund said he wanted to send a strong message that many worldwide still admire the absent Ronaldo.
- Rafael Leão, who wore the number 7 shirt, called Ronaldo his idol and childhood hero and said he believes Ronaldo is happy at home with the victory.
- Ronaldo said his departure followed the coach's press conference and a conversation with the federation president, vowing to reveal details later.
- The coach said he feels no regret over his comments and that the rules apply to all players equally.
- Renato Veiga said he was instructed not to discuss the situation with reporters.
- Rafael Leão said he intends to honor the number 7 shirt because it holds special personal significance for him.
- Leão said the number 7 shirt holds special meaning because it represents his children's birth dates.








