Aftermath of "Ronaldo's Sudden Retirement" Hits Hard: Portugal Suffers Humiliating 1-4 Loss to Denmark in First Official Match

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Is this the fallout from Cristiano Ronaldo's (Al-Nassr) retirement? The Portuguese national team suffered a humiliating defeat on home soil.

On the 15th (Korean time), Portugal lost 1-4 to Denmark in their home match, the fifth round of Group A4 in the UEFA Nations League, held at Estadio Municipal de Braga in Braga, Portugal.

Portugal, which had won all four previous matches and already secured its advancement to the quarterfinals, recorded its first tournament defeat with a heavy home loss, delaying the confirmation of their top spot in the group until the next match.

This match was the first official game played without Ronaldo, who set a world record with 146 goals in 234 international matches and announced his retirement from the national team via a personal social media (SNS) video last week.

According to local reports, the Braga stadium before the match was a festive scene honoring Ronaldo. The entire Portuguese squad and mascots entered wearing Ronaldo's number 7 jersey, while large card sections displaying "RONALDO" in the upper stands and "GOAT" in the lower stands were displayed. At the 7th minute of the first half, the message "Thank you, captain" was also shown on the electronic scoreboard.

However, once the whistle blew, the festive atmosphere quickly cooled. Portugal, which deployed a star-studded lineup featuring Goncalo Ramos (AC Milan) up front, along with Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), and Ruben Dias (Manchester City), collapsed under the weight of consistently powerless attacking play throughout the match.

Denmark struck first. Following a video assistant referee (VAR) review indicating that Rasmus Hojlund's (Napoli) header hit Dias' arm in the 41st minute of the first half, a penalty kick was awarded. In the 43rd minute of the first half, captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Olympique Marseille), who took the kick, scored the opening goal with a shot that pierced the top left corner of the net.

Trailing 0-1 at halftime, Portugal was helpless against Denmark's relentless offensive pressure from the start of the second half. In the 4th minute of the second half, Hojlund, who was unmarked in front of the goal, connected with a cross threaded from outside the penalty box by Mikkel Damsgaard, scoring an additional goal with a left-footed volley. Eight minutes later, in the 12th minute of the second half, Hojlund received a penetrating pass from Hojbjerg, evaded the defender, and shook the net with a right-footed shot, instantly making it 3-0.

Desperate, Portugal attempted a turnaround by bringing on rookie Carlos Forbs (Club Brugge), who inherited Ronaldo's symbolic number 7 jersey, in the 19th minute of the second half, but failed to change the momentum. Instead, in the 30th minute of the second half, Joachim Andersen headed home a free-kick cross from Mathias Jensen, extending Denmark's lead to 4-0.

Portugal managed only to avoid a shutout loss when new captain Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), who came on as a substitute in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half, pushed in the ball after Joao Neves' (Paris Saint-Germain) shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and deflected.

Having suffered a crushing four-goal defeat at home immediately after Ronaldo's retirement, Portugal must secure at least a draw in their away match against Wales on the 18th, the final group stage game, to confirm their top spot in the group.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original