Nations League: Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen as Klopp earns first win with Germany
On 1 October 2026 Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen and Jürgen Klopp’s Germany beat Serbia 2-0 in Munich in UEFA Nations League fixtures. Portugal’s win came after Cristiano Ronaldo left the squad before the match.
Portugal extended a perfect start in Nations League Group A4 under Jorge Jesus as they secured a third straight victory. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner left the camp before the match amid reports of a falling out with Jesus, his former club manager, having been left on the bench throughout a victory in Norway. Jorge Jesus described the result as “A victory of the highest quality,” and added: “This Portugal team scored four goals and put in a performance which, in my opinion, was of a very high standard – and that cannot be overlooked. Of course, this is more important than anything else that has happened.”
João Cancelo opened the scoring with a 13th-minute goal before Brentford midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard equalised for Denmark. Gonçalo Ramos restored Portugal’s lead after 25 minutes, and Napoli forward Rasmus Højlund levelled early in the second half following a swift counter. Vitinha’s header — his first Portugal goal — and a late strike by João Félix completed the scoring.
In Munich, Klopp recorded his first win as Germany coach with a 2-0 Group A2 victory over Serbia. Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof fired in his first senior international goal and Liverpool forward Florian Wirtz added a second in the 61st minute. Germany produced a disciplined and intensive game, illustrating the high-pressure soccer Klopp wants to instill in the team. “That’s going in my archive. We’ll make a video out of it now,” Klopp said. “That’s how we want to play.” Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF, he added: “The mix of football and attitude was top level today. I told the boys that this has to be our benchmark.” Wirtz said: “It was important to win again, just for the spirit in the team, and to send a signal out that we’re good football players and also a good football nation. Definitely a step in the right direction.”
Tijjani Reijnders scored a late equaliser as the Netherlands fought back to draw 2-2 with Greece, who remain top of their group. Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgos Masouras had the home side 2-0 up at the break before Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk powered in a header from a corner on the hour. After Denzel Dumfries had seen his goal ruled out by VAR for offside, Reijnders lashed home a rebound in the 89th minute to secure a point.
Elsewhere, Israel and Kosovo played out a goalless draw in Debrecen, Hungary in Group B3. In Group D1, Malta and Gibraltar drew 1-1. In Group D2, Azerbaijan were held to a goalless draw by Liechtenstein in Baku.
The results left Portugal with three straight wins and a perfect start in Group A4, Jürgen Klopp with his first victory in charge of Germany in Group A2, and Greece remaining top after their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
