Jorge Jesus, Portugal’s selector, explained at a press conference that some of the players were out of rhythm and admits that the defeat against Denmark, which scored four goals in Braga, “could even be worse.”.
© Getty Images
14/11/2026
by
News to Minutes
What happened? “ It was a heavy defeat, a defeat where defensively, especially in the second part, we couldn't stop the Danish team. A team that in the first part entered with very high pressure. We have never been able to find many solutions in an offensive process so that we can finalize and gain some space to goal. In the second part there we had more difficulty. We don't defend well. Our last line had some difficulty in stopping the advances of Denmark and offensively we were not a team that created what we did in Denmark. What we did in Denmark they did to us here today. We already said they were a good team and today they justified it. It is not the last line that has the whole process defensive, but our last line today had some difficulties in stopping the players entering backwards.”
I had an idea to manage. What will the game be like in Wales? “ Today I always thought if I didn't win, at least I wouldn't lose. I thought that before the game and I had a different notion for the game in Wales. Not now. From some players who thought they'd pitch in the game with Wales. Now we have to look at the process differently and we have to go looking for those players who in the 4 wins gave us guarantees. Today it was noticed two players mainly with a lack of competitive rhythm because in their championship they are already two weeks without competing. But that was nothing I hadn't thought of. I made the decision to play one and the other. But fundamentally, our defensive process, our defensive organization has failed for the Danish team.”
It was a special game for Ronaldo's homage. After the fourth goal, there were fans leaving the stadium and singing the name CR7. You worry and miss Ronaldo? “It has nothing to do with one another. It's normal. People miss it and don't forget what Cris did for 23 years in the selection. There's no turning back. The fact that some people leave when the team is losing 4-1, no one is happy or happy. Even we weren't prepared to lose here, let alone 4-1. Do I miss it? But how do you miss it if you're not already in the selection? Only if you need to keep me company. He no longer plays, he is no longer here, he has decided his situation.”
Lack of boldness in the attack? “If the team could not do it it had to do with my indications. He failed to introduce into the game what we normally do well and mainly defensively in these days. For me it was unthinkable that Denmark, no matter what quality it has on some players in the front, could make four goals. Our team couldn't stop the Danish game. Not the first or the second line. And when they arrived on top of the last line we had great difficulty in holding the advanceds of Denmark.”
The team broke at the soul level after Alberto's second goal and debut: “ Everyone knows why we had to change both sides. In normal case it wouldn't happen. Alberto's been justifying what he's been doing at FC Porto. He plays for the team that currently runs the Portuguese championship, has 11 wins in 11 games. He's done his job in my opinion with the possibility of being summoned and so I did. It is not the fact that you have never played in the youth selections that can prevent any player from being called to the main team.”
Did you lack greater ability to adjust pressure timings? “We did not have the timing to reach the action to the Danish ballplayer. We can't do what we did in the game in Denmark. Not just in this case the second line. The two advanced are usually pressure players, who let our opponents have difficulty organizing the game. We couldn't either. When we got there, the ball was gone. And then, as I said here, with several players entering the last line, they ended up with two very similar goals, of crossings, with players appearing between Alberto and Reuben Dias. You have to earn it because the players in Denmark have understood the game. We must penalise ourselves because we have not been able to stop this Denmark.”
Do you feel like it was just a bad night or will it impact? “ It was a bad night. 4-1 is a bad night. But it was for everything that happened in the game. From what the game is, I've tried to analyze why things happened. I'm absolutely sure what I'm saying, that we haven't been so strong to defend. We usually look at the last line of 4 or 5 but that's not all. There was a great deal of ease for the forwards of Denmark to play on our last line. Consequences? When you lose, it's always negative. And when you feel that today Denmark was better than us, how we felt when we left Denmark that we were better and won 4-2... But football has these moments. Now I'm not going to question the entire course the team did in all four games with four quality wins. You weren't well today. For the game of Wales, as I said, I thought one thing and now I have to think another.”
Team was coming at a good time. What locker room did you find and what did you tell the players? “ When you get lost, I go to the locker room, make them feel like we're still the first. We're the first! It wasn't a good night for all of us. There's no individualizing here. It was a defensive team that wasn't as strong as it used to be. So that's what I told the players exactly. There was no time to check the game as technical as I will now have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. We'll have time to do it. What I told them is ‘attention, it is heavy, a heavy defeat, the opponent was better, but we continue ahead and have a game to ensure the clearance for the final rooms’.”
What else did you weigh? “ The emotional side was lost according to the goals it was suffering. The goals give you doubts, they make you wonder what you're doing. Until the second goal, the team always thought they could get in the game and still change the result. After 3 and 4, the team began to feel that it could even be worse. And so do I. That's why I made changes thinking about it a little more. As I have tried to explain in relation to what the game was, the defeat and superiority Denmark had in the second part in relation to the team was what the players and I felt the most.”
What is Jorge Jesus like now as a selector? “ I've adapted myself to slightly different tasks, but they're very similar. I don't have that many field days. The training and selection process is like coaching. So I'm extremely happy about the decision I made. This game had two more days to train. In the first call there was no time to be inside the camp. I felt the change in the last line... The truth is that Alberto and Dalot were players who were inside the last possible line to have some difficulty, but it was not the last line that had difficulty. The first also had difficulty, the four averages were never able to block Danish players. Then it is obvious that it is the last player or the last line to suffer the consequences more.”