Portugal suffers heavy defeat against Denmark: UEFA Nations League Matchday 5 results

15 November 2026, 08:082 min read49

The 5th round of the UEFA Nations League in Europe provided fans with real sensations and intense matches. One of the most sensational results of the round was recorded between the national teams of Portugal and Denmark. Playing without Ronaldo, the hosts unexpectedly suffered a heavy defeat in front of their own fans.

Portugal 1-4 Denmark: A brilliant victory for the Scandinavians

The Portuguese national team (12 points, 1st place), playing without Cristiano Ronaldo, hosted Denmark (9 points, 2nd place) on their home turf. The game followed an unexpected script, with the Scandinavians finding the back of the net four times.

The outcome of the match was decided by the Danes' highly active attacking play:

In the 43rd minute, Højbjerg opened the scoring from a penalty.
In the 49th and 57th minutes, Rasmus Højlund scored a brace, extending the lead.
In the 75th minute, Andersen scored his team's fourth goal.
From the hosts' side, only Bernardo Silva managed to score a consolation goal at the very end of the match — in the 90+4th minute.

Portugal and Denmark lineups	Players
Portugal starting XI	Diogo Costa, Dalot, Veiga, Dias, Samu Costa, Vitinha, Neves (Palhinha, 64), Fernandes (Bernardo Silva, 79), Neto (Trincão, 64), Félix (Forbs, 64), Ramos.
Denmark starting XI	Hermansen, Bah, Probstgaard, Andersen (Nelsson, 82), Mæhle, Damsgaard (Jensen, 66), Hjulmand, Højbjerg, Isaksen (Skov, 66), Daramy (Froholdt, 73), Højlund (Osula, 73).

Sweden and Austria secure promotion to League A

Important and decisive matches were also held in other groups during this round:

Sweden 3-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sweden (13 points, 1st place), managed by Graham Potter, hosted Bosnia and won 3-2 in an intense battle, securing promotion to League A of the tournament. Svensson and Gyökeres (brace) were the goalscorers for Sweden.
Austria 1-0 Ireland: Austria (9 points, 1st place), managed by Ralf Rangnick, defeated Ireland at home thanks to a single goal by Kalajdzic in the 78th minute, also advancing to League A.

Results of other matches:

Romania 2-1 Poland (Cicaldau 68, Man 72 — Regula 82). Poland, featuring Robert Lewandowski, suffered an away defeat.
Northern Ireland 1-0 Ukraine (Devlin 68). The Ukrainian national team lost by a minimal margin away from home.

In your opinion, how much did Ronaldo's absence affect Portugal's heavy defeat? Leave your thoughts in the comments!