Portugal made light of Cristiano Ronaldo's absence as they earned a thrilling 4-2 away win over Denmark in the Nations League on Thursday.
Denmark 2-4 Portugal: No Ronaldo, no problem for Jesus in six-goal thriller
Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational departure from the Portugal camp did not affect Jorge Jesus' side against Denmark, as they earned a 4-2 win.
The defending champions were playing their first game since Ronaldo abruptly left their camp on Wednesday, saying he would "tell the truth" about his reported row with head coach Jorge Jesus "in due time".
But Portugal did not miss the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in Copenhagen, with Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix scoring to keep them perfect after three games in Group A4.
After Rasmus Hojlund failed to get a touch on Adam Daghim's ball across the face of the Portugal goal, the visitors started to take control of the game, with Ramos turning Cancelo's scuffed cross-shot against the left post.
But the Selecao did have the lead just nine seconds after that near miss. Daghim's attempt to kickstart a Denmark counter-attack was cut out by Cancelo, who exchanged passes with Ramos before clipping a cute finish over Mads Hermansen.
Wearing the iconic number seven shirt following Ronaldo's departure, Rafael Leao forced Hermansen into action before Denmark struck back in stunning fashion, Mikkel Damsgaard curling a glorious effort into the far corner from the left of the box in the 23rd minute.
But the hosts were not level for long, as Ramos finished off another lovely Portugal move two minutes later. He backheeled skilfully to Fernandes before darting in behind, racing onto the Portugal captain's return pass and prodding into the near corner.
Hermansen denied Ramos and Fernandes either side of half-time, with the first of those saves coming after he cheaply conceded possession himself, but Hojlund got Denmark level eight minutes after the restart. He lobbed Diogo Costa following Damsgaard's defence-splitting pass, then taunted Portugal by copying Ronaldo's iconic "siuuu" celebration.
Portugal refused to go away, though, and after Ramos' acrobatic effort whistled over the crossbar, Vitinha ghosted onto Fernandes' cross and nodded past Hermansen at his near post with 67 minutes on the clock.
And there was still time for Ronaldo's Al-Nassr team-mate Joao Felix to add a fourth goal, sweeping a cutback from fellow substitute Diogo Dalot home three minutes from time.
Portugal attack thrives without Ronaldo
As is so often the case with Portugal, all the headlines in the build-up to Thursday's game were dominated by one man.
Ronaldo may be the all-time leading scorer in men's internationals, finding the net 146 times in 234 outings for Portugal, but Jesus responded firmly when asked about the forward's shock departure, saying: "It will never be any player that will change my ideas as coach. Never. Not him, not anyone in football."
And, at least on this evidence, perhaps Portugal are better off without Ronaldo in their lineup.
The combinations for their first two goals – both of which involved Ramos, the man leading the line in Ronaldo's absence – were slick, and they generated 19 shots and 2.74 expected goals (xG) throughout the game, compared to Denmark's 12 shots and 0.67 xG.
Hojlund celebrated mischievously after making it 2-2, but of all the goals, Vitinha's looked the most like something out of the Ronaldo playbook. Despite his stature as one of the shortest players on the pitch, the Paris Saint-Germain star scored his first senior international goal – on his 46th cap – with a perfect downward header.
