Cristiano Ronaldo was always confident in Portugal’s chances of advancing to the Nations League semi-finals, even after an early missed penalty in their match against Denmark on Sunday.
The Portugal captain had his spot-kick denied by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel but saw his team rally to a dominant 5-2 victory after extra time in Lisbon.
Portugal ended up securing a 5-3 aggregate win and booked their place in the final four, where they will face Germany.
“I felt that even after missing the penalty – [it happens] only to those who try – we would progress in the tie,” Ronaldo told reporters.
“That’s what happened. It was a spectacular night, Portugal played very well; scoring five goals against Denmark is not easy at all.
“We all deserve congratulations: the players, those who were at the stadium, all the Portuguese. We are all in the same boat and it was very important to progress to the final four.”
QUE NOITE, PORTUGAL! 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/EA8M6eHi8o
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) March 23, 2025
Ronaldo, the all-time leading goal scorer in men’s international football with 136 goals, also holds the world record for the most international appearances at 219.
He quickly redeemed himself for the missed penalty by netting Portugal’s second goal of the game.
The veteran forward had been openly critical of his team’s showing in the first leg, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen. However, he was quick to encourage his team-mates to bounce back.
“There are games like that, there are bad days,” Ronaldo, 40, said after that defeat. “I didn’t play at all, the team didn’t play at all, but it’s part of life. I want to leave the [Lisbon’s] Alvalade Stadium with my head held high.”
Portugal certainly did just that on Sunday, with Francisco Trincao scoring twice and Gonçalo Ramos adding another in extra time to seal the victory.
As the 2019 Nations League champions, Portugal continue to show their strength under coach Roberto Martinez, having won 20 of their 28 matches while suffering only four defeats.
But the semi-finals will be a much tougher test, particularly after Germany’s demolition of Italy.
