Portugal fell 4-1 to Denmark at the Estádio Municipal de Braga on Saturday enduring its heaviest home defeat in over two decades during its first home fixture since Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international football.
The visiting side capitalized on defensive vulnerabilities after a competitive opening period. Following a handball by Rúben Dias inside the penalty area verified by the video assistant referee, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring from the spot in the 43rd minute, according to RMC Sport.
𝗢𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗱𝗼, 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝟳𝗮̃𝗼. ©️🐐 pic.twitter.com/4WehpXAmqZ
Rasmus Højlund extended the advantage shortly after halftime. He converted a cross from Mikkel Damsgaard in the 50th minute before bypassing Renato Veiga to score past goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 57th minute.
Joachim Andersen added a fourth goal with a header from a set piece in the 70th minute. Bernardo Silva scored a consolation goal for the hosts in stoppage time at the 93rd minute.
In the opening ten minutes, Vitinha generated an initial opportunity without generating sufficient power on his strike. Several attacking sequences involving João Félix, Bruno Fernandes, and Pedro Neto ultimately produced no breakthrough for the home side.
Denmark applied consistent pressure throughout the contest, with Isaksen and Højlund testing the defense in the 34th and 39th minutes before the breakthrough penalty.
Players wore jerseys featuring his trademark number 7 during the opening ceremony and national anthem, while a banner reading “Obrigado, Capi7ao” was displayed in the stadium, RMC Sport noted.
Head coach Jorge Jesus managed a squad that featured Gonçalo Ramos as the starting number 9 in the attack. Prior to kickoff, squad management saw Gonçalo Inácio, Mateus Fernandes, Gustavo Varela, and João Cancelo excluded from the active selection, leaving them to watch the encounter from the stands in Braga.
The team will travel to face the Wales national football team on Tuesday to finalize the group standings, though they must do so without Rúben Dias and João Palhinha due to suspensions following bookings received during the fixture in Braga.