No Ronaldo, no problem? Portugal take ‘step forward’ with Denmark rout

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Vitinha feels Portugal took a “step forward” in their attacking play in the 4-2 rout of Denmark, despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence.

Ronaldo left Portugal’s squad earlier this week, reportedly due to a disagreement with new coach Jorge Jesus over a lack of game time.

But in the absence of international football’s record goalscorer, Portugal cruised to an emphatic victory in Copenhagen,

Joao Cancelo’s opener was cancelled out by Mikkel Damsgaard, but Goncalo Ramos swiftly reestablished Portugal’s lead.

Rasmus Hojlund equalised for Denmark early in the second half, mimicking Ronaldo’s iconic celebration to boot, but goals from Vitinha and substitute Joao Felix eased Portugal to victory.

And Vitinha paid credit to Jesus’ tactics, while also suggesting Portugal were perhaps more free-flowing without Ronaldo at the tip of their attack.

“It’s all thanks to the manager’s work,” Vitinha told TVI Noticias.

“The truth is, we played an excellent game, and there’s no hiding that.

“Winning here is extremely important, in a very difficult place to play, and two years ago, when we lost here, we learned that lesson. Don’t be fooled by the result, because it was a very difficult game.

“Furthermore, it was the best performance we’ve had so far. We are growing, and the truth is, the more we work with the manager, the more we assimilate his ideas.

“We took a step forward in attack.”

Sempre connosco. Obrigado, Portugueses. ‍ pic.twitter.com/qruLL2zbZ4

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) October 1, 2026

Vitinha explained the squad did their best to shut out the noise surrounding Ronaldo’s shock departure.

“We tried to focus on the game and I think that’s what we did,” Vitinha said.

“We responded incredibly. Congratulations to the whole group.”

Portugal won the expected goals battle with ease, creating chances worth 2.25 xG to Denmark’s 0.76 xG.

The Selecao had 19 shots, getting 10 of those on target.

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