Cristiano Ronaldo remained at the center of attention as Portugal began life without its legendary captain with a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. The occasion in Braga was supposed to celebrate the forward’s extraordinary contribution to his country, but the result quickly turned the night into a painful reminder of the challenges facing Jorge Jesus and his team. The Portugal coach was subsequently asked whether he missed the 41-year-old, and his answer was far from what many supporters might have expected.
The fixture on November 14 marked Portugal’s first appearance since Ronaldo announced his international retirement on November 5, bringing an end to a 23-year career with 234 appearances and a national-record 146 goals. Before kickoff, the players walked onto the pitch wearing shirts bearing Ronaldo’s famous No. 7, while supporters applauded its former captain during the seventh minute as his image appeared on the stadium screens.
However, Denmark gradually took control of the occasion and delivered one of the most damaging results in Portugal’s history. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute, before Rasmus Hojlund struck twice early in the second half to put the visitors firmly in command.
Hojlund scored again in the 57th minute, beating Renato Veiga before finishing clinically, while Joachim Andersen headed in Denmark’s fourth goal in the 75th minute. Bernardo Silva scored a late consolation, but it could not prevent the Selecao from suffering its worst competitive home defeat in 105 years.
The result became even more uncomfortable as sections of the home crowd began leaving the stadium, with some supporters chanting Ronaldo’s name. Its reaction brought renewed attention to the former captain’s absence and the circumstances surrounding his departure.
What did Jorge Jesus say about Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence?
After the final whistle, Jesus was asked whether he personally missed Ronaldo and whether Portugal had felt the consequences of losing such an influential figure. The coach acknowledged the affection supporters still had for the forward but firmly rejected the suggestion that his retirement explained the defeat. “People miss him and have not forgotten what Cristiano did for 23 years with the national team, but there is no going back on the matter,” Jesus said.
His response became more striking when he addressed the question of whether he missed Ronaldo himself. “Do I miss him? How can I miss him when he is no longer in the national team? The only thing missing is his presence here to keep me company.”
“But he no longer plays, he is no longer here, he made his own decision,” the Portugal coach added. The comments were particularly notable given that the pair had previously worked together at Al-Nassr and that Ronaldo’s international retirement followed reported disagreements over his role in the national team.
Jesus accepts responsibility for Portugal’s defensive collapse
While refusing to blame Ronaldo’s absence, Jesus admitted that Portugal had performed well below expectations, particularly defensively. He explained that his players failed to reproduce the organization they had shown when beating Denmark 4-2 in the reverse fixture.
Head coach Jorge Jesus interacts with Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr. (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
The coach also criticized the team’s pressing, arguing that Portugal’s forwards allowed Denmark too much freedom to build attacks and exploit spaces behind the defensive line. He accepted responsibility for the failure to implement the preparations made in training.
“If the team couldn’t do it, it has to do with my instructions. They couldn’t introduce into the game what we normally work on these days and what we’ve been doing well, especially defensively,” Jesus admitted. He added: “It was unthinkable that Denmark would score four goals against us. But whoever doesn’t defend well, as happened today, can’t stop Denmark.”
