Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 away at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Thursday 1 October 2026, in UEFA Nations League Group A4, a day after Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of the squad over being benched. The win was Portugal's third straight victory in the competition this season and leaves them with a perfect record, according to ESPN.

Portugal Score Four in Copenhagen

Gonçalo Ramos's shot came back off the post in the opening minutes, and João Cancelo finished the move by playing a one-two with Ramos and dinking the ball over Mads Hermansen in the 13th minute, according to Portugoal. Mikkel Damsgaard equalised for Denmark with a curling strike in the 23rd minute, but Ramos restored Portugal's lead two minutes later after Bruno Fernandes set him up.

Rasmus Højlund levelled again in the 53rd minute and marked it with Ronaldo's "Siu" celebration, a pointed gesture on the day the forward left the camp. Vitinha headed Portugal back in front in the 67th minute, his first senior goal for the national team, before João Félix added a fourth in the 87th minute. Rúben Neves was booked during the match.

Ronaldo's Exit Overshadows the Win

Ronaldo, 41, who plays for Al Nassr, left the Portugal camp roughly 24 hours before kick-off after Jorge Jesus told him he would again start from the bench, according to ESPN. Before the match, Ronaldo posted on social media that he would reveal the truth about why he left the national team "when the time comes". Asked afterwards about his control of the squad, Jesus said his players believed in his ideas as a coach.

Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Portugal 3 3 0 0 7 3 +4 9
Denmark 3 1 0 2 6 7 −1 3
Norway 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3
Wales 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3

Six Points Clear with Norway Next

Portugal sit six points clear of Denmark, Norway and Wales after three wins from three. That gap was widened by Norway's 2-1 defeat away to Wales.

Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martínez, said he was pleased with the victory and felt the team was improving game by game. "What I liked most was the victory, obviously," he said. He also praised Fernandes's second-half display, revealing he had told the midfielder at half-time that the team needed more from him. Speaking to Portugoal afterwards, Jesus said Fernandes had found space "that seems to belong to nobody".

Félix's goal extended his run of scoring in every game under Jesus to three consecutive Nations League matches. Before this match, Denmark had lost only once in their previous 22 games at Parken Stadium, a run that included a 1-0 win over Portugal in 2025.

Portugal host Norway in Porto on Sunday 4 October, where victory would secure a quarter-final spot, while Wales travel to Denmark the same day.

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