On an October qualifying night in Copenhagen, Portugal answered one of football's oldest questions — what remains when the brightest star is absent — by winning without Cristiano Ronaldo. The result was more than three points; it was a quiet declaration that Portugal had grown into something beyond a single man's shadow. For Germany and others watching the group standings shift, the evening served as a reminder that collective depth, not individual brilliance alone, shapes the fate of nations in tournament football.
Portugal beats Denmark without Ronaldo, boosting Germany's Euro hopes
Portugal proved it could compete without its most famous player
Mark
So Portugal won without Ronaldo—but what does that actually tell us? Is this a sign they're stronger than we thought, or just one good night?
Mimi
It's meaningful because qualifying matches are where teams show their real structure. Portugal had to play without their most dominant player, and they still got the result. That suggests the squad has options.
Luke
But we should be careful here. One match doesn't prove squad depth. We'd need to see a pattern—multiple wins without him, or at least a sense of how their attack functions differently. One game is data, but it's not a trend.
Mark
Fair point. What about Germany—why does this help them specifically?
Mimi
In a qualifying group, if one team is clearly dominant, it compresses everyone else's chances. Portugal winning without Ronaldo means the group stays competitive, which gives Germany more realistic paths to qualification.
Luke
Though we should note: we don't know Germany's exact position in the group from this source. We know the result helped them, but we don't have the actual standings or point totals. That's worth flagging.
Mark
So the real story is about Portugal's depth, not about Ronaldo being replaceable?
Mimi
Exactly. It's about whether Portugal can function as a complete team. Ronaldo is irreplaceable as a player, but the team proved it doesn't need him to win matches.
Luke
And that's the angle that matters for Euro 2024 itself. If Portugal can win qualifying matches without him, they might be more dangerous in the tournament than people assume.
El Pulso
- Portugal arrived in Denmark missing the player who has defined their attack for nearly two decades, leaving the squad to prove it could compete without him.
- The absence forced a redistribution of creative responsibility across the squad — a high-stakes test of whether Portugal's depth was real or illusory.
- Portugal won, unsettling the group hierarchy and keeping qualification genuinely contested among multiple nations rather than already decided.
- Germany's position in the standings improved as a direct consequence, benefiting from a competitive balance that the result helped preserve.
- The victory reframed how rival nations must now assess Portugal — a team that wins without its most celebrated player is, in some ways, a more formidable threat than one that cannot.
On an October qualifying night in Copenhagen, Portugal answered one of football's oldest questions — what remains when the brightest star is absent — by winning without Cristiano Ronaldo. The result was more than three points; it was a quiet declaration that Portugal had grown into something beyond a single man's shadow. For Germany and others watching the group standings shift, the evening served as a reminder that collective depth, not individual brilliance alone, shapes the fate of nations in tournament football.
Portugal traveled to Denmark in October for a Euro 2024 qualifier with Cristiano Ronaldo — five-time Ballon d'Or winner and the anchor of their attack for nearly two decades — conspicuously absent from the squad. The question was simple and serious: could Portugal function as a genuine continental force without him?
They could. The win required Portugal's coaching staff to build a different kind of attack, one that spread responsibility across the squad rather than channeling everything through a single dominant figure. Portugal generated chances, converted them, and managed the match — demonstrating that their depth was real, not merely a supporting cast propped up by one man's brilliance.
The result carried consequences beyond Copenhagen. In the qualifying group's mathematics, Portugal's victory kept the standings unsettled and the path to Euro 2024 genuinely contested. Germany, watching from their own campaign, found their prospects improved — not because Portugal weakened themselves, but because the competitive balance shifted in ways that opened space for other contenders.
The evening also raised a larger question about Portugal's readiness for the tournament itself. A squad capable of winning without Ronaldo in a qualifier is, in some ways, a more dangerous opponent than one entirely dependent on individual genius. Portugal had answered that question on Danish soil, and in doing so, altered both the group's calculus and the broader conversation about who might lift the European Championship.
Portugal traveled to Denmark on a qualifier night in October with one of European football's most recognizable figures conspicuously absent from the squad sheet. Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner who has anchored Portugal's attack for nearly two decades, did not make the trip. The question hanging over the match was whether Portugal could function as a serious continental force without him.
They could, and they did. Portugal won the match, a result that carried weight far beyond Copenhagen. In the mathematics of Euro 2024 qualifying, this victory repositioned the group standings in ways that benefited Germany—a team watching from a distance as Portugal proved it could compete at the highest level without its most famous player.
The absence of Ronaldo forced Portugal's coaching staff to construct a different kind of attack, one that distributed responsibility across the squad rather than funneling play toward a single dominant figure. This is the kind of test that reveals whether a national team has genuine depth or merely a star player propped up by supporting cast. Portugal's win suggested the former. The team showed it could generate chances, convert them, and manage a match without depending on one player's individual brilliance.
For Germany, watching from their own qualifying campaign, the result carried strategic implications. A Portugal victory in Denmark meant the group's hierarchy remained unsettled, the path to qualification still contested among multiple teams rather than already determined by a clear favorite. Germany's own prospects in the group improved with this outcome—not because Portugal weakened themselves, but because the competitive balance shifted in ways that opened space for other contenders.
Ronaldo's absence also raised a broader question about Portugal's readiness for the European Championship itself. If the team could win without him in a qualifying match, could they sustain that performance across a tournament? The answer mattered not just for Portugal's ambitions but for how other nations assessed the threat they would face. A Portugal squad that had proven it could win without its most celebrated player was, in some ways, a more dangerous opponent than one that seemed entirely dependent on individual genius.
The match itself became a statement about modern football's evolution. Star power remains essential, but teams that can distribute attacking responsibility across multiple players, that have midfielders capable of creating chances and forwards willing to work without the ball, have built something more resilient. Portugal demonstrated that principle on Danish soil, and in doing so, they altered the calculus of their qualifying group and the broader conversation about who might win Euro 2024.
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