Portgual should always beat Denmark in national leagues

Cristiano Ronaldo was always convinced of the chances of Portugal to progress to the semifinals of the national leagues, even after an early missed penalty in their match against Denmark on Sunday.

The Portuguese captain had his own newspaper who rejected Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, but saw his team gathered a dominant 5-2 victory after an additional time in Lisbon.

Portugal ended with securing a 5-3 overall victory and booked his place in Final Four, where he would face Germany.

“I felt that even after missing the punishment – (that happens) only to those who try – we would progress in the tie,” Ronaldo told reporters.

“That happened. It was a spectacular night, Portugal played very well; scoring five goals against Denmark is not easy at all.

“We all deserve congratulations: players, those who were in the stadium, all Portuguese. We are all in the same boat and it was very important to make progress in Final Four.”

What a night, Portugal! 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/ea8m6hi8o

– Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) March 2, 2025

Ronaldo, leading leading scorer in men’s football with 136 goals, also holds a world record for the highest international appearances in 219.

He quickly redeemed himself for the missed penalty, scoring the second goal in the Portugal game.

The veteran striker was openly critical of the presentation of their team in the first part, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat in Denmark in Copenhagen. However, he quickly encouraged his teammates to bounce.

“There are such games, there are bad days,” said Ronaldo (40) after that defeat. “I didn’t play at all, the team didn’t play at all, but it’s part of my life. I want to leave the stadium (Lisbon) Alvalade with my head high.”

Portugal must have done so on Sunday, and Francisco Trincao scored twice, and Gonçalo Ramos added another one in the extra time to seal the victory.

As a 2019 nation champions, Portugal still shows his strength under coach Robert Martinez, winning 20 of his 28 matches while suffered only four defeats.

But the semifinals will be a much more difficult test, especially after the demolition of Germany in Italy.