While Cristiano Ronaldo‘s abrupt departure from the national team overshadowed the build-up to the UEFA Nations League fixture against Denmark, Goncalo Ramos successfully shifted the narrative on the pitch. Manager Jorge Jesus entrusted the 25-year-old forward with leading the attack, a tactical decision that yielded Portugal’s most cohesive and convincing performance of the tournament, further consolidating their position at the top of the group standings.
Ronaldo had left camp after being told he would remain on the bench against Denmark, leaving Ramos to step into the role previously occupied by Portugal’s record goalscorer. The Milan forward responded with a goal, an assist and another highly influential performance as Portugal ran out 4-2 winners in Copenhagen.
Ramos immediately looked dangerous in Copenhagen, hitting the post before playing a decisive role in the Selecao’s opening goal. He combined with Joao Cancelo in the 13th minute before putting Portugal back in front just two minutes after Mikkel Damsgaard had equalized. Bruno Fernandes found Ramos with a clever pass, and the striker calmly finished to make it 2-1 in the 25th minute.
After Rasmus Hojlund brought Denmark level again early in the second half, Vitinha and Joao Felix completed the scoring to give the visitors their third straight Nations League victory. Ramos finished with one goal, one assist, six shots, three key passes and one effort that hit the woodwork.
Ramos finally addresses the Ronaldo situation
The attention eventually turned back to the man whose absence had dominated the previous days. Ramos was asked whether Ronaldo’s departure and the surrounding controversy had created additional pressure on the players, and his answer offered a clear indication of how the squad viewed the situation. “This situation didn’t affect us. External issues do not influence the importance of today’s game. We want to win every match, and that’s what we did,” Ramos told RTP.
The striker also pointed toward the influence of Jesus and the clarity he believes the new coach has brought to Portugal. “The coach has helped us a lot. We have clear ideas, we know exactly where our teammates are, in attack and defense. I like playing like this,” the Milan striker added.
Remarkable record without Ronaldo
Ramos’ latest international goal also added another interesting statistic to the Ronaldo discussion. According to Stats du Foot, 12 of Ramos’ 13 Portugal goals have come in matches in which Ronaldo was not on the pitch, suggesting that the younger striker has repeatedly found the net when given responsibility without the veteran alongside him.
The Denmark goal also took Ramos beyond 100 goals in professional football, adding to his totals for Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Portugal. His club tally includes 45 goals for PSG, 41 for Benfica and one for Milan, while his latest international strike took his Portugal total to 13.
Ramos scored the final goal
Even more striking is Portugal’s record whenever Ramos scores. The national team has won all 10 matches in which the striker has found the net, giving him a perfect winning record in those games.
Jorge Jesus again defended his approach to squad selection while refusing to allow the Ronaldo situation to overshadow the result. “There are players with status. That much is crystal clear. But I’ll say it again: the rules are the same for everyone,” he said after the game.
