Portugal were under particular scrutiny on Thursday night. Just one day after Ronaldo’s premature departure from the national-team camp, the defending champions produced an impressive response in Copenhagen and underlined the attacking quality they still possess without their long-time captain.
Portugal respond to Ronaldo turmoil with four goals
Few games were dominated beforehand by the absence of one player quite like Denmark against Portugal. Ronaldo had left the Portuguese camp following several tense days. The 41-year-old had previously remained on the bench throughout the 2-1 victory over Norway, the first time since 2008 that he had been an available substitute without featuring in a competitive international for Portugal.
Jorge Jesus selected Gonçalo Ramos through the middle in Copenhagen. On the pitch, the team showed no signs of being distracted by the unrest: Portugal won 4-2 to make it a perfect nine points from their opening three group matches.
João Cancelo put the defending champions ahead in the 13th minute. Mikkel Damsgaard equalised ten minutes later, but Portugal restored their lead just two minutes after that with an excellent move. Ramos flicked the ball on with his heel, burst in behind the Danish defence and finished from Bruno Fernandes’ pass.
Those early goals highlighted how fluid Portugal’s attack could be without Ronaldo. Ramos repeatedly dropped away from the front line to create space before attacking the depth again. Portugal finished with 19 shots, ten on target, and created six big chances. An xG advantage of 2.74 to 0.67 further reflected their superiority.
Denmark nevertheless stayed in the contest. Rasmus Højlund made it 2-2 in the 53rd minute before adding extra spice to the occasion by celebrating with Ronaldo’s famous “Siuuu”.
Portugal responded once again. Vitinha headed in a Bruno Fernandes cross for 3-2, scoring his first international goal in the process, before substitute João Félix completed the scoring late on after an assist from Diogo Dalot.
It was also symbolic that Rafael Leão wore Ronaldo’s number seven following the captain’s departure. Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, however, did not want to go into greater detail about the situation after the match. He said he would address the circumstances more fully after the final game of this international window against Norway, while also making clear that no individual player would dictate his sporting ideas.
For Portugal, it was the best possible response on the pitch to a turbulent few days. With nine points, the defending champions already sit six clear of Denmark, Norway and Wales.
Greece let 2-0 lead slip against the Netherlands
In Group A2, Greece looked set for another major result. After victories over Serbia and Germany, Ivan Jovanović’s side also went into half-time against the Netherlands with a 2-0 lead.
The hosts had lost the injured Christos Tzolis early on, but his replacement Giorgos Masouras was immediately involved. In the 23rd minute, he helped the ball into the path of Fotis Ioannidis, who opened the scoring. Shortly before the break, Ioannidis returned the favour after a Dutch mistake and set up Masouras for 2-0.
Greece’s first-half display was an excellent example of efficient transition football. Despite having only 34 per cent possession, they managed seven shots and around 0.93 xG. The Netherlands controlled much more of the ball but struggled to create clear opportunities against Greece’s compact defensive block.
The pattern changed completely after the interval. Greece dropped increasingly deep while Oranje stepped up the pressure. The visitors had 76 per cent possession in the second half and outshot Greece 14-1. Almost all of the hosts’ total xG of around 0.95 had already been generated before the break.
Virgil van Dijk headed the Netherlands back into the game in the 59th minute. Denzel Dumfries then thought he had equalised twice, only for both goals to be ruled out for offside.
The 2-2 eventually arrived in the 89th minute. After a blocked move, the ball fell to Tijjani Reijnders, who finished from close range. Greece remain top of the group with seven points, followed by the Netherlands on five and Germany on four.
Klopp’s first win, Austria recover to draw in Dublin
Germany recorded their first win under Jürgen Klopp with a 2-0 victory over Serbia. Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz scored for a side that dominated with 32-1 in shots and some outstanding counter-pressing. Our detailed analysis of Germany’s breakthrough victory can be found separately.
Austria, meanwhile, suffered a setback in Dublin. Troy Parrott scored twice to put Ireland 2-0 ahead before the visitors responded after the break. Alexander Prass pulled one back in the 71st minute and Michael Gregoritsch equalised six minutes later with a direct free-kick. Read our full analysis of Austria’s 2-2 draw in Dublin.
Wales add to Norway’s woes
In the other game in Portugal’s group, Wales beat Norway 2-1. Oscar Bobb initially gave the visitors the lead before Daniel James equalised prior to half-time. Immediately after the restart, Torbjørn Heggem was sent off and Neco Williams converted the resulting free-kick to score the winner. Erling Haaland had an unusually quiet evening, while Norway have now lost twice in succession following their opening victory over Denmark.
In League B, the other match in Austria’s group between Israel and Kosovo finished goalless. There were also no winners in League D: Azerbaijan drew 0-0 with Liechtenstein, while Malta and Gibraltar shared a 1-1 draw.
High-profile Nations League weekend ahead
The Nations League continues over the weekend with several major fixtures. France host Italy on Friday, while Belgium face Turkey. On Saturday, England travel to Croatia and Spain welcome the Czech Republic.
On Sunday, the two groups that were already in action on Thursday return to the stage. Germany travel to Greece looking for revenge, while the Netherlands host Serbia. Portugal face Norway again at the Estádio do Dragão, after which Jorge Jesus intends to speak in more detail about the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s departure. Austria, meanwhile, travel to Kosovo looking to preserve their unbeaten record.
