Braga was supposed to celebrate a departed hero. Instead, the hosts’ debut without their talisman turned into a heavy 1-4 Nations League defeat against the Danes, and Rasmus Hojlund netted a brace.
The occasion began emotionally. As the anthem played, every home player wore a jersey with the retired captain’s name and number seven on the back, while the stands displayed a banner saying “Obrigado, capi7ão”. The forward announced his retirement from the national team last week after a public row with coach Jorge Jesus.
Portugal controlled long spells of a rain-soaked first half, but the breakthrough went the other way. Just before the interval, a Hojlund header struck the arm of Ruben Dias, and after a video review the referee pointed to the spot. Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg smashed the penalty high into the net in the 43rd minute.
Once play resumed, the striker grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Four minutes after the restart, the former Manchester United striker met a clever pass from Mikkel Damsgaard on the volley. In the 57th minute he broke away on the counter, beat Renato Veiga and finished from just outside the box. Defender Joachim Andersen headed in a free kick from substitute Mathias Jensen to make it 4-0 before Bernardo Silva pulled one back deep in stoppage time.
Hojlund rejected the idea that Portugal had simply been off colour. Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2, he pointed out that Denmark were playing away against one of Europe’s top five sides and called the result “a big gift to ourselves”.
Despite the defeat, Portugal still lead League A Group 4 with 12 points, three clear of Denmark. Norway, 3-1 winners over Wales in Oslo, have six, and Wales sit bottom with three. The final round is on Tuesday, when Wales host Portugal and Denmark welcome Norway.
