Portugal suffered its heaviest home defeat in an official match as Denmark secured a 4:1 victory in UEFA Nations League Group A play.
Denmark Defeats Portugal as Ronaldo Retires from National Team
- Denmark defeated Portugal 4:1 away from home in the UEFA Nations League, building on a prior 4:2 result against the same side in October, as reported by LRT.
- The match marked the first time Portugal lost a competitive home fixture by a four-goal margin, ending a 15-game unbeaten home run that included 13 wins and one draw, according to 15min.lt.
- Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he would no longer play for the national team, concluding a 23-year career with 234 appearances and 146 goals for the national team, as detailed by Respublika and Delfi.
Denmark Secures Historic Away Victory Over Portugal
Denmark capitalized on decisive moments during the UEFA Nations League fixture on Saturday evening, defeating Portugal 4:1 in foreign territory, LRT reported. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring for the visitors from a penalty kick in the 43rd minute.
Rasmus Hojlund extended the lead with goals in the 50th and 57th minutes. Joachims Andersenas added a fourth in the 75th minute before Portugal’s Bernardo Silva netted a consolation goal in the third minute of added time, according to 15min.lt.
The outcome marked Portugal's first home defeat in their last 15 matches. The result is the largest margin of defeat for the Portuguese national team at home in any official competition, 15min.lt noted.
Cristiano Ronaldo Ends 23-Year International Career
The 41-year-old forward accumulated 234 appearances and scored 146 goals for Portugal, establishing two distinct world records, Respublika reported.
“Portugalijos žmonės, atėjo diena grąžinti septintuoju numeriu pažymėtus rinktinės marškinėlius. Numeris priklausė ne man vienam, bet 23 metus turėjau privilégiją ir atsakomybę su juo pasirodyti viso pasaulio stadionuose. Šiandien laikas užversti šį puslapį. Tai nebuvo lengvas sprendimas, nes kai kuriuos sprendimus reikia priimti vadovaujantis ne tik galva, bet ir širdimi. Kelionė, prasidėjusi 2003 m. rugpjūtį ir pakeitusi mano gyvenimą, baigėsi,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo made his debut for the national team in August 2003 at the age of 18. During his career, he helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship, alongside Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025, and participated in six World Tournaments, Delfi stated.
“Šiandien baigiu savo kelią aikštėje su nacionaline rinktine. Išeinu aukštai iškelta galva, didžiuodamasis nueitu keliu ir žinodamas, kad Portugalijai atidaviau viską, ką turėjau. Įvarčiai lieka praeityje, taurės nugula muziejuose, o rekordai anksčiau ar vėliau yra pagerinami,” Ronaldo told Delfi.”
Norway Beats Wales as Group Standings Change
Following five rounds of matches, Portugal leads the group with 12 points, having already secured one of the top two positions. Denmark follows in second place with 9 points, Norway holds 6 points, and Wales sits with 3 points. Additional League B matches played concurrently featured Sakartvelas defeating Hungary 2:0, Northern Ireland edging Ukraine 1:0, a scoreless draw between Kosovo and Israel, Austria defeating Ireland 1:0, Romania overcoming Poland 2:1, and Sweden defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 3:2.
| Team | Matches Played | Points | Group Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 5 | 12 | 1st (Qualified) |
| Denmark | 5 | 9 | 2nd |
| Norway | 5 | 6 | 3rd |
| Wales | 5 | 3 | 4th |
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Next Fixtures in the Tournament
Portugal plays the remainder of the group stage following the departure of their long-standing captain.
References
- 15min.lt: Fiasko Bragoje: danai sutriuskino portugalus jų žemėje
- LRT: UEFA tautų lygoje Danijos futbolininkai sutriuskino Portugalijos rinktinę
- Respublika: Krištianas Ronaldas padėjo tašką rinktinėje
- Delfi: Cristiano Ronaldo paskelbė apie karjeros pabaigą Portugalijos rinktineje
