Joao Felix made the win safe late in the second half after the hosts had twice fought back to level. Portugal put the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to one side as they edged Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.
With the pre-match build-up dominated by five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo’s sudden departure from the team’s training camp on Wednesday, coach Jorge Jesus said before kick-off that he just wanted his side “to focus on the match”.
His team showed no signs of being distracted by the furore caused by the 41-year-old’s walkout after Jesus announced that Ronaldo would not start the match against Denmark. Ronaldo, Portugal’s record goalscorer, had already spent all of Sunday’s 2-1 Nations League win over Norway on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales last Thursday.
“A victory of the highest quality; this Portugal team scored four goals and put in a performance which, in my opinion, was of a very high standard,” Jesus told his post-match press conference. “Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated.”
