Jorge Jesus has insisted that the saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo “will not divide” his Portuguese side after their impressive 4-2 win over Denmark in Copenhagen without their all-time top scorer.
Ronaldo sensationally left the team this week after a falling out with Jesus, seemingly putting an end to his international career.
The period leading up to Thursday’s match was overshadowed by the apparent breakdown in the relationship between Jesus and Ronaldo European Nations League in Copenhagen, but it had no impact on Portugal’s excellent attacking display.
After beating Norway 2-1, with Ronaldo remaining on the bench, Portugal took the lead in the 13th minute through Joao Cancelo.
Mikkel Damsgaard equalized with a stunning strike 10 minutes later, but Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the lead again soon after.
Rasmus Hoglund equalized for Denmark for the second time eight minutes into the second half, but Vitinha’s first goal for Portugal restored the lead again, before Ronaldo’s Al Nasr teammate Joao Felix added a late fourth goal to seal a third win from three matches for the defending Nations League champions.
Portugal will next face Norway in Porto on Sunday in the final match of the extended international break, and Jesus made it clear that the team will remain united despite the fallout from the Ronaldo incident.
Asked if the players were behind him, Jesus told Sport TV: “There is no reason for them not to support me.
“What matters is what we have to do. I know why this question is asked, but things happen. They do not divide the team, and they will not divide us.”
Vitinha praises Jesus after Portugal’s recent victory
Speaking to RTP, Vitinha backed his coach’s comments, praising Jesus for his influence on their excellent start in the UEFA Nations League.
“Because of the coach’s work,” said Vitinha when asked about the reasons for the improvements made in Jesus’ first three matches.
“The truth is we played an excellent game – there’s no denying that. It’s very difficult to win here. We learned that lesson last year or two years ago. We lost, and it was really tough. Don’t be fooled by the result. Beyond the result, it was the performance. It was our best so far.”
“We have improved over the last three matches. The more time we spend with the coach, the more we absorb his ideas and develop a more dynamic game. Defensively, we have always been strong and capable. We have taken a step forward in attack. I hope we can continue like this. It was a very difficult win. It is important to say that – it is difficult to play here. And apart from the win, the performance was excellent.
“The coach’s work is starting to pay off. You can see that, it was quite evident today. Fortunately, things are going well, and that’s the way we want to continue. Now, we just need to tell everyone to pack the drago so we can make it four wins in a row, which would be ideal.”
Regarding the situation with Ronaldo, Vitinha added: “We tried to stay away from the matter. We focused on the match and we succeeded. We responded incredibly well. Congratulations to the entire team for that.”
