Portugal 1 Denmark 4: Without Ronaldo, Portugal suffer historic home humiliation

What was supposed to be an emotional evening honouring Cristiano Ronaldo turned into a nightmare for Portugal as Denmark thrashed them 4–1 in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday.

Portugal began the evening with a beautiful tribute to their former captain, who announced his retirement from international football on November 5.

Every Portuguese player walked onto the pitch wearing Ronaldo's iconic No. 7 jersey. Even the young mascots accompanying the footballers wore the famous number.

But the emotional atmosphere at the Estadio Municipal de Braga soon gave way to disappointment as Denmark produced a ruthless performance to hand Portugal a humiliating defeat.

The result was described by match commentators as Portugal's heaviest home defeat in a competitive international fixture.

It was also their first loss under Jorge Jesus, who had won his opening four matches as national team manager.

Denmark spoil Ronaldo's special night

Pierre Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring from the penalty spot shortly before half time.

Rasmus Hojlund then struck twice early in the second half to leave Portugal stunned.

Joachim Andersen added a fourth in the 75th minute before Bernardo Silva scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time.

The result was particularly embarrassing considering Portugal had beaten Denmark 4–2 in Copenhagen just six weeks earlier.

It was also Portugal's first match since Ronaldo officially ended his extraordinary 23 year international career.

However, it was not their first match without him.

After Ronaldo left the national team camp in September, Portugal won their next two matches without him, beating Denmark 4–2 away and Norway 2–1 at home.

Those victories had shown that Portugal were capable of producing results without their legendary captain.

But Saturday was a completely different story.

Portugal's heaviest competitive home defeat

The three goal margin was described as Portugal's biggest home defeat in a competitive international.

However, Portugal have suffered a far more humiliating defeat on home soil in the past.

That unwanted record dates back to May 25, 1947, when England demolished Portugal 10–0 in an international friendly in Lisbon.

The result remains the heaviest defeat in Portugal's international football history.

Unlike that historic humiliation, Saturday's defeat came in a competitive fixture, making the result particularly painful for the Portuguese supporters.

First setback for Jorge Jesus

The defeat also brought Jorge Jesus' impressive start as Portugal manager to an abrupt halt.

The experienced coach had guided Portugal to four consecutive victories before Denmark exposed serious weaknesses in his side.

With talented players such as Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Félix and Rúben Dias in the squad, Portugal certainly possess enough quality to compete against Europe's strongest teams.

But Saturday was a reminder that even the most talented teams can struggle when things go wrong.

Portugal may have begun a new chapter without Ronaldo, but their first match since his official retirement ended in a painful reality check.

And on a night when everyone wore Ronaldo's famous No. 7, it was Denmark who stole the show.