LAGOS NOVEMBER 15TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The dream of a smooth transition ended in tears on Saturday night. Portugal suffered its heaviest ever competitive home loss as Denmark ran out 4-1 winners in the UEFA Nations League. The fans in Braga wanted a party to celebrate a legend, but they got a harsh lesson instead. This result marks a dark start to life without the country’s greatest player.
Portugal paid tribute before the whistle, but the team failed to play like champions. The 41-year-old superstar retired just last week after a fallout with coach Jorge Jesus. His former teammates all wore the famous No. 7 jersey before kickoff, yet they could not impose themselves on the match. Per ESPN, the lackluster display earned whistles from disappointed home fans who had high hopes.
A New Number, Same Old Problems
The team tried to honor the legend with a fresh look on the kits. To honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal soccer team is altering the style used to write the No. 7. It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.
That cross was heavy to carry on Saturday. Following Rúben Dias being penalized for hand ball, Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg scored an emphatically taken penalty before the break. In the 50th, Rasmus Højlund finished a fine team move with a volley to make it 2-0. Then in the 57th, he avoided Dias at the area edge and struck the ball past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
The Weight of a Legacy
The defense crumbled completely as the night wore on. A header from Joachim Andersen in the 75th brought the score to 4-0. Portugal fans whistled when their struggling team needlessly conceded a corner, but the situation did not improve. Only a stoppage-time response goal by Bernardo Silva meant the Group A4 game concluded with a VAR check. The numbers tell the sad story of this era change.
After a falling out with coach Jorge Jesus, Ronaldo, Portugal’s top scorer and most-capped player, retired having scored 146 goals in 234 matches. His final appearance for Portugal occurred on Sept. 24 during a 1-0 home win against Wales in the Nations League. Jesus benched him for the next match, stating he did not plan to start him, leading the superstar forward to leave the team’s training camp. Later, Jesus stated Ronaldo would be welcome back, noting the decision to return rested with him.
Yahoo
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