Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 after Ronaldo leaves training camp

Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Thursday in the Uefa Nations League, recovering from two equalisers after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the team’s training camp dominated the build-up. Substitute Joao Felix scored with three minutes remaining to give coach Jorge Jesus his third win in his first three matches.

Ronaldo left the camp on Wednesday after Jesus announced that he would not start against Denmark. Before kick-off, the coach said he wanted his side “to focus on the match”, and Portugal responded by taking the lead three times before Felix made the result safe.

Denmark twice fight back

Joao Cancelo opened the scoring inside 13 minutes, but Mikkel Damsgaard curled in an equaliser 10 minutes later. Portugal’s response was immediate: Goncalo Ramos, starting again up front, restored their lead two minutes after Damsgaard’s goal with a near-post finish.

Denmark drew level for a second time early in the second half through Rasmus Hojlund. Vitinha put Portugal back in front in the 57th minute, heading home to make it 3-2.

The hosts remained within a goal until the closing minutes. Felix, who came on as a substitute, finished a swift counter-attack to complete a victory in which Portugal had twice seen their advantage disappear.

Ronaldo explains his exit

Ronaldo’s departure followed a sequence of changing roles in Portugal’s Nations League matches. He captained the side in a 1-0 home win over Wales last Thursday, then spent all of Sunday’s 2-1 victory in Norway on the bench.

“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,” said Portugal’s record goalscorer. He did not give those reasons in the statement.

Jesus leaves discussion until after match

Jesus said on Thursday that there would be time to address the situation once the Denmark game was over. “After (the match), we’ll definitely have time to talk about” it, he said.

For now, the result extends Jesus’s winning start as Portugal coach to three matches. The controversy surrounding Ronaldo’s departure did not prevent Portugal from securing the win in Copenhagen.