Portugal, holder of the trophy and already established, failed today the first early place of the A4 Group of the League of Nations football, by suffering the worst official home defeat against Denmark (4-1), on the fifth and penultimate journey.
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14/11/2026
by
Lusa
ANDm Braga, the Nordics imposed with goals of Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (43 minutes), Penalti, Rasmus Hojlund (50 and 57) and Joachim Andersen (75) and broke the full of four Portuguese victories under Jorge Jesus, in the first game after the withdrawal of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bernardo Silva, new captain and launched already close to the end, reduced distances (90+3 minutes), without avoiding a historical disaster of the selection of 'quinas', which had not lost since the elimination in the final eighths of the 2026 World Championship, facing the European champion and now holding the world trophy Spain (1-0), in the last duel with the Spanish Roberto Martínez.
The last official home defeat had also taken place in front of Spain and Braga (1-0), in September 2022, at the close of the main round of the League of Nations, and Portugal no longer suffered so many goals since the disengagement with Germany (4-2), in Munich, on the second day of the Euro2020 group phase, played in 2021, due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Alexander Bah, from Benfica, was a Denmark holder, who used Victor Froholdt, from the Portuguese champion FC Porto, in the second part and again won 18 years later in Portuguese territory, where no team wrote down four attempts to ‘chines’ since September 2010, when Cyprus tied surprisingly in Guimarães (4-4), at the beginning of the Euro2012 qualification.
Before the initial whistle, the players and the public honored the advanced and captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who had announced last week the farewell of the main selection of Portugal, after world records of 234 internationalizations and 146 goals, interspersed by the achievements of Euro2016 and the Leagues of Nations 2019 and 2025 in 23 years.
Portugal remains first in the ‘poule’ and counts 12 points, against nine in Denmark, second in rank, and six in Norway, third in receipt to Wales (3-1), last in three.
Antonio Nusa (59 minutes), the newly entered Andreas Schjelderup (68), Benfica, and Erling Haaland (88), Penalti, returned the Nordic to the victories, while alternate David Brooks (79) reduced by the British.
On Tuesday, Norway will visit Denmark, while Wales will receive Portugal, with no chance of accessing the ‘fourths’ of the League of Nations, for the first two of the four ‘poules’ of the League A, and one point still remains for the Portuguese to seal the leadership at the close of this phase and the status of serial heads in the draw of the next round.
The two least scored red lanterns in the League of Nations' main league rank go straight down to League B, while the two worst thirds and the two best rooms will compete for two-way play-offs with the four second-level ‘vices’ in March 2027, the month in which Portugal will play the ‘fourths’, also in double strike.
Back in the League Austria and Sweden are after confirming the only direct promotion vacancies in groups B3 and B4, returning to the main level for the first time since issues 2022/23 and 2020/21, respectively.
One goal of the alternate Sasa Kalajdzic fixed the victory of Austria at the reception to the Republic of Ireland (1-0), with the hosts reaching 11 points, against five of the Irish, on a ‘poule’ in which Kosovo, with six, tied the reception to Israel (0-0), with three and already with a possible rise.
Sweden beat Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-2), with a try by Daniel Svensson and two penaltis by Viktor Gyökeres, former forward of Sporting, which extended to eight consecutive games to score in the latest European selection competition.
Gustaf Lagerbielke, from Sporting Braga, was a totalist and helped Sweden seal the second consecutive climb and reach 13 points, five above Bosnia, which he lost for the first time, but has a seat in the promotion play-offs, unlike Poland, with four, and Romania with three.
Without FC Porto’s Jan Bednarek, due to suspension, but also the ‘dragon’ Jakub Kiwior at first, the Poles lost in their visit to Romanians (2-1), who promoted the debut of substitute Ianiis Stoica, the Amadora Star, but left Tony Strata, from Vitoria de Guimarães, in the bank.
More indefinite continues Group B2, since Northern Ireland and Hungary triumphed at home in front of Ukraine (1-0) and on their way to Georgia (2-0) and remained in the first two positions, accounting now for 11 and 10 points, respectively, before the Magyars received the British.
Anatoliy Trubin and Georgiy Sudakov, both of the Benfica, were holders of the Ukrainians, who have four points and can no longer rise to League A, such as Georgia, with two remaining the fight for continuity in the second step, under penalty of playing-offs with the vice-leaders of the C League.