Portugal face Denmark at Braga Municipal Stadium on Saturday, November 14, with the home side playing their first match since Cristiano Ronaldo ended his 23-year association with the national team. Kickoff is set for 7:45pm, and while Portugal have already secured a quarterfinal place, the meeting still carries weight for both sides.
Ronaldo stepped away last week in a lengthy video on social media, telling the next generation to “pass it on to the future.” That leaves Portugal to move on without the player who defined their attack for more than two decades, even though they have won all four of their matches in UEFA Nations League Group A4 and are now one result away from sealing first place.
The numbers explain why this matters now. Portugal have beaten Wales 1-0 at home, Norway 2-1, Denmark 4-2 away and Norway 2-1 again to reach the quarterfinals, and they will finish as group winners if they avoid defeat on Saturday. Denmark are second and need a victory in Braga, then must hope Norway do not beat Wales, if they are to reach the last eight.
The earlier meeting in Copenhagen showed how open this contest can become. Portugal won 4-2 on October 1, with Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix on the scoresheet, while Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund replied for Denmark. Hojlund has scored three of Denmark’s seven goals so far, and the burden has often fallen on him to keep their campaign alive. Portugal have had that burden spread more evenly, with Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix each scoring three times so far.
That is why Ronaldo’s exit matters beyond the symbolism. Portugal are defending champions, but this is the first time they must show how their attack functions without the 41-year-old at the center of it. Ramos and Felix have supplied the goals, yet the question now is whether Portugal can keep the same edge without the figure who carried them for so long. Opta’s supercomputer gives Portugal a 59.4 percent chance of victory and Denmark 19.4 percent, but the table still asks for proof rather than projections.
Denmark do not have the luxury of waiting for another chance. They must beat Portugal and hope Norway fail to beat Wales, while Portugal can control the group with a draw or win. The result in Braga will decide whether the home side keep their perfect run intact or whether Denmark turn a difficult away assignment into a route back into the quarterfinals.
