Portugal players react to being abandoned by Ronaldo after Denmark win

Portugal responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence by producing a convincing 4-2 victory over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League, with João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha and João Félix all finding the net.

The result made it two wins from two without Ronaldo, who left the national team camp under controversial circumstances after being left on the bench for the previous victory over Norway.

Ronaldo was completely absent from the squad against Denmark after leaving camp, adding another layer to the growing uncertainty surrounding his international future. However, Portugal’s players were keen to distance themselves from the controversy after securing another impressive result under Jorge Jesus.

Renato Veiga, who revealed his close relationship with Ronaldo, refused to discuss the situation.

“I'm very close to Cristiano Ronaldo, and he knows I have a lot of affection for him. But I've been instructed not to talk about this. I can't talk about it,” Veiga said.

Nuno Mendes also avoided getting drawn into the issue, insisting the squad had to focus on its own responsibilities.

“He is a player for the national team, and we are more focused on what we have to do now and on what the coach wants to bring to us. As for the rest, it’s not for us to decide. We’re here to welcome any player who joins us,” Mendes said.

Ramos was among Portugal’s goalscorers as the team followed their 2-1 win over Norway with another strong performance. The forward insisted Ronaldo’s situation had not distracted the players from their task.

“The tactical idea is very clear with Jorge Jesus as coach. We know exactly where is every teammate,” Ramos said.

“Ronaldo situation? That story did not influence us. We want to win every game. This is what we did.”

Vitinha echoed those sentiments, saying the squad deliberately kept its attention on the match rather than the controversy surrounding their captain.

“We try to remain out of that story. We focused on the game and it was an incredible performance. You can see the work from the coach Jorge Jesus is making effect on us. The performance was fantastic tonight,” the PSG midfielder said.

Portugal have now won consecutive Nations League matches without Ronaldo playing a role, although his future with the national team remains uncertain following his departure from camp.

For Jesus and his players, however, the message after the Denmark victory was consistent: their focus remains on the team and the football rather than the controversy surrounding their most famous player.