Hojlund Double Helps Denmark Thrash Portugal 4-1 in Braga

BRAGA, November 14, 2026 — Denmark tore through Portugal 4-1 in Braga on Saturday, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring twice early in the second half, as Portugal played their first match since Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave Denmark the lead from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute, after a handball decision against Ruben Dias, BBC Sport reported. Hojlund, now at Napoli, then struck twice in eight minutes after the break. The first, in the 49th minute, was a volley created by Mikkel Damsgaard, according to BBC Sport and Denmark’s DR. The second arrived in the 57th minute. Joachim Andersen headed in the fourth in the 75th minute, with Mathias Jensen the provider, before Bernardo Silva scored a consolation in the third minute of added time.

Those scorers and times were reported by BBC Sport and ESPN. Denmark’s public broadcaster DR also described Hojlund’s brace in detail. A UEFA Nations League round-up confirmed the 4-1 scoreline in Braga but listed Mikkel Damsgaard, rather than Hojlund, as the scorer of the third goal, so the individual attribution in that official write-up does not match the match reports from BBC, ESPN and DR.

The occasion had been framed as a tribute to Ronaldo. BBC Sport and ESPN both reported that the 41-year-old had called time on his international career last week, after 234 appearances and 146 goals for Portugal. BBC Sport said every Portugal player and the mascots walked out in “Ronaldo 7” shirts, with fans displaying his name and a “GOAT” tribute in the stands, and a message of thanks appearing on the scoreboard in the seventh minute. Carlos Forbs, now of Club Brugge, was handed the number seven shirt, BBC Sport and ESPN reported.

The party atmosphere did not last. Denmark went in 1-0 up at half-time and never looked back. ESPN reported that Forbs came off the bench just after the hour but could not change the course of the night, and Silva’s late goal came only after Joao Neves had been denied, BBC Sport said. Portugal had won their first four Nations League matches and had already secured a place in the quarter-finals, UEFA said. They now go to Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday, November 17, needing to avoid defeat to finish as Group A4 winners, according to BBC Sport. Denmark, second in the group, host Norway on the same night.

ESPN’s match report put Portugal on 12 points from five games and Denmark on nine after the result in Braga, which fits with Portugal’s four wins before this first defeat and with Denmark’s position, three points behind the already-qualified hosts. Tuesday’s Scandinavian derby against Norway is the visitors’ chance to book their own place in the last eight.

For Portugal, the night will be remembered for more than the farewell choreography. Jorge Jesus’s side were already through, but they were well beaten in their first outing of the post-Ronaldo era, and they must regroup quickly before the trip to Cardiff. For Denmark, Hojbjerg’s penalty, Hojlund’s double and Andersen’s header delivered a statement win on the road and kept their quarter-final hopes firmly on course.

Source: BBC Sport; ESPN; DR; UEFA.

Credit : Getty Images via UEFA

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