Goncalo Ramos scores and assists as Portugal begin post-Ronaldo era

Portugal made a strong start to life without Cristiano Ronaldo as Joao Cancelo scored and Goncalo Ramos both created and finished a goal in their Nations League meeting with Denmark at Parken in Copenhagen on Thursday.

Cancelo put Portugal ahead after 13 minutes of their League A, Group 4 fixture, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper after being set up by Ramos.

The goal underlined Ramos’ new importance to the Portuguese attack, with the striker now viewed as Ronaldo’s successor in leading the national side’s forward line.

Denmark responded in the 23rd minute when Mikkel Damsgaard levelled the contest with an excellent finish from inside the penalty area.

Portugal regained the lead only two minutes later. Ramos exchanged passes with Bruno Fernandes before bursting towards goal and applying a precise finish to make it 2-1.

The match was Portugal’s third in the competition. They began the evening top of Group 4 in League A with six points, having beaten Wales and Norway in their opening fixtures. Denmark had three points before kick-off.

Ronaldo was absent after leaving the Portugal squad following tension with the coaching staff. The disagreement came after he was not involved in the previous match against Norway, while reports in the press had raised the possibility that his international career could be coming to an end.

His absence placed greater attention on Ramos, who responded by contributing at both ends of Portugal’s early attacking play. He provided the pass for Cancelo’s opener before combining with Fernandes to restore the visitors’ advantage.

The result marked the first Portugal match in the Nations League since Ronaldo’s departure from the squad, although no formal announcement of his international retirement was included in the circumstances surrounding the game.

Portugal’s first-half performance gave them control of a match in which both sides had already found the net three times by the 25th minute. Denmark’s equaliser briefly cancelled out Cancelo’s opener, but Ramos’ quick response ensured Portugal went back in front.

The fixture at Parken formed part of the third round of Nations League matches, with Portugal seeking to maintain their position at the top of the group and Denmark attempting to close the gap on the leaders.