What was supposed to be an emotional evening honouring Cristiano Ronaldo turned into a nightmare for Portugal as Denmark thrashed them 4–1 in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday.
Portugal began the evening with a beautiful tribute to their former captain, who announced his retirement from international football on November 5.
Every Portuguese player walked onto the pitch wearing Ronaldo's iconic No. 7 jersey. Even the young mascots accompanying the footballers wore the famous number.
But the emotional atmosphere at the Estadio Municipal de Braga soon gave way to disappointment as Denmark produced a ruthless performance to hand Portugal a humiliating defeat.
The result was described by match commentators as Portugal's heaviest home defeat in a competitive international fixture.
It was also their first loss under Jorge Jesus, who had won his opening four matches as national team manager.
Denmark spoil Ronaldo's special night
Pierre Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring from the penalty spot shortly before half time.
Rasmus Hojlund then struck twice early in the second half to leave Portugal stunned.
Joachim Andersen added a fourth in the 75th minute before Bernardo Silva scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time.
The result was particularly embarrassing considering Portugal had beaten Denmark 4–2 in Copenhagen just six weeks earlier.
