The China Mail - Portugal win without Ronaldo as Klopp's Germany get first victory

The controversy surrounding Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal squad on Wednesday overshadowed the match in Copenhagen, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's future in international football now in serious doubt.

Coach Jorge Jesus said before kick-off that he just wanted his side "to focus on the match", and they did not appear distracted as they scored some superb goals to win the Group A4 clash at the Parken Stadium.

AC Milan striker Goncalo Ramos scored Portugal's winner in Norway on Sunday after being preferred to Ronaldo in attack, and here he set up Joao Cancelo for Portugal's early opener before getting their second goal on 25 minutes.

Mikkel Damsgaard curled in a fine goal in between for Denmark, and Rasmus Hojlund scored their second equaliser shortly after half-time.

However, Vitinha headed in a superb Bruno Fernandes cross to put Portugal back in front midway through the second half, and Joao Felix -- a club colleague of Ronaldo's at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia -- finished off a superb move to seal Portugal's victory.

"A victory of the highest quality," said Jesus. "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."

Wales beat Norway 2-1 in the same group in Cardiff, despite Fulham's Oscar Bobb giving the visitors an early lead.

Goals by Daniel James and Neco Williams turned the game around for Wales, while Norway had Torbjorn Heggem sent off at the start of the second half.

Portugal, who are the defending Nations League champions, are top of the group with the maximum nine points from three games before entertaining Norway in Porto on Sunday.

Klopp's first two matches in charge of Germany had ended in a draw in the Netherlands and a defeat at home to Greece, but it was third time lucky as his side saw off Serbia in Munich.

Bayern Munich's Tom Bischof, playing at home, opened the scoring late in the first half and Liverpool's Florian Wirtz sealed the win with a brilliantly-taken goal just past the hour mark.

"The mix of football and attitude was top level today. I told the boys that this has to be our benchmark," Klopp told public broadcaster ZDF.

- Protests at Ireland game -

Germany's next game is away in Greece, who top Group A2 with seven points from three outings after a 2-2 draw at home to the Netherlands in Thessaloniki on Thursday.

The home side were two ahead at half-time with goals by Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgos Masouras, but skipper Virgil van Dijk pulled one back just before the hour.

Substitute Tijjani Reijnders then grabbed an 89th-minute leveller for Xavi Hernandez's Dutch side, who are second in the group on five points and complete this international window at home to pointless Serbia in Eindhoven on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Troy Parrott scored twice, including a stunning solo effort, as Ireland drew 2-2 at home with Austria in a game briefly interrupted on two occasions by protests.

Parrott, of Real Betis, opened the scoring in style after 12 minutes of the Group B3 encounter in Dublin, before tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch by those protesting Ireland's games against Israel, forcing a break in play.

Later in the first half a man carrying a Palestinian flag got on the pitch before being stopped by security.

Parrott scored again from the penalty spot to double Ireland's lead by the interval, but second-half goals by Alexander Prass and Michael Gregoritsch earned Austria a draw.

Ralf Rangnick's team top the section with seven points, three more than both Ireland and Kosovo, who drew 0-0 with Israel in a game played in Hungary.

Friday sees Zinedine Zidane's homecoming as he leads France out on home soil for the first time in their match with Italy.

L.Kwan--ThChM