Portugal suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League in Braga, turning what was supposed to be a night of celebration for Cristiano Ronaldo into a disappointing occasion.
The match was organised around celebrating Ronaldo’s remarkable contribution to the Portuguese national team, but the home side’s heavy defeat quickly changed the mood among supporters.
Before kick-off, Portugal players wore shirts bearing Ronaldo’s name and number 7 as they walked onto the pitch. Supporters also displayed a banner reading, “Thank you, captain”, in honour of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward.
However, Denmark’s impressive performance and four goals turned the celebration into a night of disappointment for the home fans.
The defeat attracted reactions from newspapers across Europe, with several describing Portugal’s performance as a humiliation.
Spanish newspaper AS published the headline, “Cristiano did not deserve this”, suggesting that the heavy defeat was a poor way to honour a player who had served the national team for 23 years.
Another Spanish newspaper, Marca, described Denmark as the real winners of Ronaldo’s tribute night, highlighting the visitors’ dominance and Portugal’s poor performance.
Catalan newspaper Sport also described the result as a humiliation, publishing the headline, “Portugal humiliated at Cristiano’s tribute ceremony”.
In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport focused on Portugal’s struggles without their captain, using the headline, “A bad look for Portugal without CR7: a devilish Hojlund and Denmark score four goals”.
French newspaper L’Equipe summed up the result with the headline, “A new era: a heavy defeat”, while Portuguese newspapers were equally critical of the national team’s performance.
O Jogo described the occasion as a nightmare, while A Bola asked, “What happened, Portugal?”, before describing the defeat as a humiliation.
British media also reacted strongly to the result. BBC Sport described the defeat as a humiliation for Portugal, while The Guardian highlighted Denmark’s superiority.
TalkSPORT went further, describing the result as an unprecedented insult in the country’s football history and Portugal’s biggest official defeat on home soil.
The reaction also spread across social media, where Ronaldo’s supporters launched campaigns under the slogan, “Never disrespect Cristiano Ronaldo”.
One supporter wrote, “Without Ronaldo there is no party”, expressing disappointment over the team’s performance on a night dedicated to celebrating the legendary forward.
Meanwhile, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus refused to blame Ronaldo’s absence for the defeat, although he admitted that his team had defensive problems.
The result has raised questions about Portugal’s ability to move forward without their long-serving captain as the team prepares for a new chapter.
