Portugal set unwanted records in heavy Nations League loss to Denmark

Portugal suffered their heaviest defeat without Cristiano Ronaldo for more than 23 years as Denmark secured a 4-1 victory in Braga in the fifth round of the Nations League group stage.

The result was also Portugal’s biggest home defeat in a competitive match. Denmark’s win left Portugal top of League A Group D on 12 points, having already secured their place in the quarter-finals, while Denmark moved to nine points with one round remaining.

Portugal had not lost by more than one goal in a match without Ronaldo since 6 September 2003, when they were beaten 3-0 by Spain. That defeat came only weeks after Ronaldo made his international debut against Kazakhstan on 20 August of the same year.

The home side also conceded four goals in a match for the first time since their 4-2 defeat by Germany at the European Championship on 19 June 2021.

Denmark took control before half-time when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg converted a penalty in the 43rd minute after the ball struck Ruben Dias’ hand.

Rasmus Højlund doubled the visitors’ advantage five minutes after the restart, then scored again seven minutes later to put Denmark 3-0 ahead.

Joachim Andersen added a fourth in the 75th minute, giving Portugal a record four-goal deficit in a competitive home fixture. Bernardo Silva scored in the third minute of stoppage time to reduce the final margin.

The last occasion on which Portugal conceded four goals at home was on 3 September 2010, when they drew 4-4 with Cyprus in Guimaraes. However, the defeat by Denmark was the first time they had fallen four goals behind in a competitive match on home soil.

It was also Portugal’s heaviest loss since a 3-0 friendly defeat by the Netherlands on 26 June 2018.

The match was Portugal’s first since Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football. The former captain had been honoured before the game, but the occasion ended in a difficult night for the team and their supporters.

Ronaldo ended his international career with 234 appearances and 146 goals, making him Portugal’s record goalscorer. He also helped the country win the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

Despite the scale of the defeat, Portugal retained first place in their group. Denmark’s victory kept their hopes alive ahead of the final round of matches.