Portugal’s Ronaldo tribute turns into Nations League humiliation by Denmark

Cristiano Ronaldo’s tribute night ended in a 4-1 defeat for Portugal against Denmark in Braga, as the celebrations for the legendary forward gave way to boos and anger during a disastrous Nations League performance under Jorge Jesus.

Before kick-off, Portugal’s players wore shirts bearing Ronaldo’s name and number seven, while supporters held up a banner reading “Thank you, captain”. However, the positive atmosphere quickly disappeared as Denmark took control and extended their lead.

Spanish newspaper AS led the criticism with the headline: “Cristiano did not deserve this”. It described the combination of a subdued tribute from the players and supporters and the heavy defeat as an inappropriate way to mark a player who had spent 23 years serving Portugal.

Marca suggested Denmark had delivered the real tribute, having dominated the match and scored four times on a night intended to honour Ronaldo. The newspaper linked the result to the beginning of the post-Cristiano era, calling it a disaster.

Sport used the headline “Portugal humiliated at Cristiano’s tribute”, highlighting the stark contrast between the formal celebration and the team’s collapse against Denmark, who punished every Portuguese mistake.

In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport focused on Portugal’s poor display without Ronaldo, writing: “A bad picture of Portugal without CR7: diabolical Højlund and Denmark score four”. The report also noted that Norway still have a chance in the group.

French newspaper L’Equipe summarised the evening as: “A new era… a heavy defeat”, arguing that Portugal’s first test after Ronaldo’s departure had ended in a clear collapse rather than a promising start for a new generation.

The reaction was similarly severe in Portugal. O Jogo described the occasion as a “nightmare”, despite its purpose as a tribute to Ronaldo. A Bola asked, “What happened, Portugal?”, before calling the defeat in Braga a “humiliation”.

Publico captured the situation with the line: “Ronaldo did not attend the tribute, and neither did Portugal”, referring both to the forward’s absence from the stadium and the team’s disappearance from the contest in front of their home crowd.

In Britain, BBC Sport called the result a “humiliation for Portugal”, while the Guardian concentrated on Denmark’s clear superiority. talkSPORT described the loss as an “unprecedented insult” in the national team’s history and Portugal’s biggest official home defeat.

Reaction also spread across social media, where supporters backed Ronaldo under the slogan “Never disrespect Cristiano Ronaldo”. Other posts declared: “Without Ronaldo there is no party”, suggesting his absence had left an obvious void during the tribute.

Brazilian outlet UOL focused on the contradiction between the celebratory build-up and the scale of the defeat. It also reported Jorge Jesus’ comments in which he rejected the suggestion that Ronaldo’s absence was responsible for the loss, although he acknowledged the defensive problems suffered by his side.