Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 without Ronaldo as Germany clinches first win under Klopp

Portugal kept a perfect start in Group A4, and Germany recorded Jürgen Klopp's first win as manager.

By Felo News Desk · Published Thu, 01 Oct 2026 23:44:30 GMT

Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Thursday, maintaining a perfect start to Nations League Group A4 despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence, while Germany beat Serbia 2-0 in Munich, giving new coach Jürgen Klopp his first victory.

What happened

In Copenhagen, João Cancelo opened the scoring for Portugal in the 13th minute, followed by an equaliser from Mikkel Damsgaard. Gonçalo Ramos restored the lead after 25 minutes, and Rasmus Højlund levelled for Denmark early in the second half. Portugal then took control with Vitinha heading his first international goal and a late strike from João Félix, finishing 4-2.

In Munich, Germany’s attack broke through in the 39th minute when Florian Wirtz set up Tom Bischof, who scored his first senior international goal. Wirtz added a second in the 61st minute, securing a 2-0 win over Serbia.

What the reports add

The Guardian noted that the Portuguese side was managed by Jorge Jesus and highlighted the lack of any visible impact from Ronaldo, who left the camp earlier in the week. It also mentioned that the German side fielded a completely new starting XI, with debutants goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and winger Derry Scherhant, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera added that Germany’s victory came after two previous attempts under Klopp, describing the win as a relief for the new coach. Both outlets reported the same scorers and final scores.

What was said

Al Jazeera quoted the match report that “Florian Wirtz picked out Tom Bischof to score his first senior national team goal in his second cap.” The Guardian described the Portuguese performance, stating that “Vitinha’s header, his first Portugal goal, and a late strike by João Félix made it three straight wins.”

How it came about

Portugal entered the match after Cristiano Ronaldo left the national team camp on 30 September, a development covered by Felo News in Ronaldo leaves Portugal camp ahead of Denmark match. Coach Jorge Jesus had already fielded a squad without Ronaldo in the previous game against Norway.

Germany’s win followed a series of managerial changes, with Jürgen Klopp taking charge after a 1‑1 draw against the Netherlands on 24 September, detailed in Felo’s Cody Gakpo’s late strike denies Klopp his first win. The Munich victory therefore marks Klopp’s first success in his third attempt.

Key facts

Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen. (theguardian.com)
Germany beat Serbia 2-0 in Munich. (aljazeera.com)
Vitinha scored his first international goal for Portugal. (theguardian.com)
Tom Bischof scored his first senior international goal for Germany. (aljazeera.com)
Cristiano Ronaldo left the Portugal camp before the match. (theguardian.com)