Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 as Gonçalo Ramos steps in for Ronaldo

Denmark vs Portugal

Portugal answered the turmoil surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from camp with a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Copenhagen. The result kept Portugal’s perfect record intact in this season’s UEFA Nations League competition, according to ESPN.

The victory was also Portugal’s first match since 41-year-old Ronaldo left the camp after being left on the bench against Norway. Gonçalo Ramos took the forward’s place, helped create João Cancelo’s opener and then scored Portugal’s second goal.

Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Højlund twice brought Denmark level, but Portugal regained control through Vitinha before João Félix sealed the win late in the game. The performance gave Portugal a convincing result at a moment when attention had been focused less on the match than on Ronaldo’s status within the national team.

Ramos steps into Ronaldo’s place

Ramos set up João Cancelo’s opening goal before Denmark equalised through Damsgaard in the 23rd minute. Two minutes after that equaliser, Ramos restored Portugal’s lead by scoring the team’s second goal.

The goal and assist made Ramos central to Portugal’s response after Ronaldo’s absence. Former PSG team-mates Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos were both on the scoresheet, according to the BBC.

Denmark again levelled in the 53rd minute, with Højlund scoring and then performing Ronaldo’s iconic “Siu” celebration. The celebration added another direct reference to the player whose place Højlund’s goal helped Denmark challenge Portugal for control of the match.

Portugal did not allow the second equaliser to decide the contest. Vitinha put Portugal ahead for the third time with a near-post header from Bruno Fernandes’ free kick in the 67th minute. Félix then added the fourth goal in the 87th minute to secure the victory.

The scoring sequence showed Portugal recovering twice after Denmark had equalised. Cancelo gave the visitors the lead, Damsgaard levelled, Ramos restored the advantage, Højlund equalised again, and Vitinha and Félix finished the job for Portugal.

A result shaped by Ronaldo’s absence

The match came 24 hours after Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp following coach Jorge Jesus’ decision that the star forward would again start among the substitutes. The BBC described it as the first match since Ronaldo left the camp after being put on the bench against Norway.

Ronaldo had started Portugal’s 1-0 Nations League win over Wales but did not play in the 2-1 victory in Norway. It was the first time since 2008 that he had been an unused substitute for his country.

Jesus denied that there was a rift, but Ronaldo subsequently left the camp and said he would explain the reasons for his departure “in time”. Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, wrote on social media: “Betrayal is a dish best served cold.”

The departure created a backdrop of uncertainty around Portugal before the Denmark match. ESPN reported that Portugal showed no ill effects from the drama, while the BBC focused on the wider question of what the national team might look like after Ronaldo.

The win therefore mattered not only because Portugal scored four goals, but also because it came immediately after a dispute over the role of one of the country’s most important players. Ramos’ contribution gave the team a direct attacking response to Ronaldo’s absence without requiring any conclusion about what will happen next between the player and the national side.

Why Ronaldo remains central to the debate

Ronaldo has been effectively undroppable for years, according to the BBC. He has scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal, while his career tally stands at 979 goals.

He is also the record goalscorer in men’s international football. The BBC said he helped Portugal win Euro 2016, ranks among football’s best players ever, became the international goalscoring record holder for Portugal years ago and has continued to score.

Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, the top scorer in European Championship history and the only player to score at six different World Cups, according to the BBC. Those achievements explain why his position in the team has remained unusually difficult to challenge.

At the same time, the question of whether Ronaldo’s presence limits Portugal has persisted for several years. The BBC noted that the question had been asked on its website five years ago, showing that the issue predates the latest disagreement with Jesus.

Ronaldo’s age and movement have been part of that discussion. The BBC described a feeling that the Al-Nassr player, in his less mobile older years, may have been holding back the national team.

The debate is also about what a modern striker contributes beyond goals. On the Euro Leagues show, journalist James Horncastle asked what Ronaldo does for the team beyond scoring, particularly in a modern game where more is expected from a striker.

Portugal’s result against Denmark offered one performance in which Ronaldo was not involved and Ramos directly influenced the scoreline. It did not erase Ronaldo’s record, but it gave those questioning his automatic place evidence of Portugal scoring four goals without him.

The numbers behind the argument

The BBC reported that Portugal’s win percentage without Ronaldo has been slightly better since 2017, at 64% compared with 63% with him. Portugal have also scored 2.7 goals per game without him, compared with 2.1 with him.

Those figures form part of the statistical case being made by people who believe Portugal may benefit from a different attacking structure. They do not remove the significance of Ronaldo’s goals, caps or record, but they show why the question has continued despite his achievements.

In the past five years, Ronaldo missed only two World Cup or European Championship qualifiers, both through suspension. Portugal won those two matches by their biggest margins ever, defeating Luxembourg 9-0 and Armenia 9-1.

The BBC also pointed to the 2022 World Cup, where Fernando Santos dropped Ronaldo to the bench for the knockout stages. By contrast, Ronaldo played all but nine minutes under Roberto Martinez that summer.

Portugal eventually lost 1-0 to Spain in the last 16 of the World Cup. BBC pundit Chris Sutton criticised Ronaldo’s performance after that defeat, saying: “He's waddling around the field like a grandad - that's why Portugal are out.”

The same Portugal squad contained four members of Paris St-Germain’s back-to-back Champions League-winning team and Premier League player of the year Bruno Fernandes, according to the BBC. The criticism was therefore directed at the gap between the talent available to Portugal and the team’s failure to progress further in that tournament.

Tension between Ronaldo and Jesus

Ronaldo’s departure came after a change in the tone around Portugal’s leadership. Jesus replaced the diplomatic Roberto Martinez after Martinez resigned as Portugal head coach, and Ronaldo was reunited with his former Al-Nassr boss.

Jesus denied that there was a rift, but the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s departure led to speculation about what had been said or promised to the player. Balague said some journalists close to Ronaldo had suggested that a fuller account would eventually emerge.

Balague also said Ronaldo would not want this to become his farewell from Portugal, while warning that reconciliation might not be easy. His comments were presented as analysis of the situation rather than as an official explanation from Ronaldo or the Portuguese football authorities.

Horncastle criticised Ronaldo’s conduct, saying that as captain and leader he should remain with the team and put the side before himself. Horncastle added that it did not appear Ronaldo was doing that on this occasion.

The BBC described a possible clash between Ronaldo and Jesus as one of the most anticipated fallouts in Portuguese football. Ronaldo is arguably Portugal’s greatest player, while Jesus has previously said he believed he was the world’s best coach.

Jesus is known for strong convictions, a short temper and a direct style, according to the BBC. The article also recalled that he challenged Neymar at Al-Hilal by telling the Brazilian he was “finished”.

Before becoming widely known, Jesus confronted and stopped a soundcheck by American rapper 50 Cent at the Restelo stadium because it interfered with training. The example was used to illustrate a coach who, in the BBC’s description, fears no-one.

That approach represented a major break from Martinez’s overly diplomatic style. The change mattered because Ronaldo had occupied an unusually powerful position in Portugal’s dressing room for years.

Portugal’s wider coaching history

The latest dispute is not the first reported problem involving Ronaldo and a Portugal coach. The BBC said Ronaldo had issues with four of Portugal’s last five coaches: Carlos Queiroz, Paulo Bento, Fernando Santos and now Jesus.

The BBC described that history as too much distraction for a Portugal side that arguably has its best generation ever. It also questioned whether such conduct was appropriate for the national team’s captain.

The criticism sits alongside recognition of Ronaldo’s extraordinary contribution to Portugal. He helped the country win Euro 2016 and has held the international goalscoring record while continuing to score for the national side.

The tension is therefore between two established views of Ronaldo. One emphasises the goals, records and leadership associated with Portugal’s greatest player, while the other asks whether his current role serves a team with a strong generation of players.

Denmark’s match did not resolve that argument by itself. It did, however, provide Portugal with a four-goal victory, a significant contribution from Ramos and another example of the team producing an emphatic result without Ronaldo.

What comes next in the international window

Portugal will complete the international window by hosting Norway, while Denmark will visit Wales. Those fixtures will come after Portugal’s victory in Copenhagen and after the dispute that led to Ronaldo leaving camp.

Ronaldo’s future with Portugal remained the central unresolved question surrounding the Denmark match. The result showed that Portugal could respond immediately on the field, but the available reports did not establish whether Ronaldo’s departure represented a permanent break with the national team.

For Portugal, the immediate facts were clear: Cancelo, Ramos, Vitinha and Félix scored, Denmark twice equalised, and the Nations League holders still won 4-2. The wider questions about Ronaldo’s place, Jesus’ authority and the direction of the national team remain tied to the debate that has followed the veteran captain for several years.