"Should call it a day", "Problem right now is Ronaldo" - Fans unhappy with Cristiano Ronaldo's showing in Portugal's loss to Denmark

A few Portugal fans online have called out Cristiano Ronaldo following their 1-0 loss to Denmark in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals on Thursday, March 20. CR7 was unproductive in attack and failed to alter the scoreline during the game.

This led to questions regarding his role and importance in Portugal's squad, while others called for his retirement from A Selecao. Overall, Roberto Martinez's side played a quiet game, registering only eight goal attempts as compared to Denmark's 23.

In the 23rd minute Renato Veiga appeared to have handled the ball in the box and the Danes were awarded a penalty. Christian Eriksen stepped up but his spot-kick was saved by Diogo Costa.

In the 33rd minute, Veiga squandered a decent chance to score as his effort was saved by Kasper Schmeichel. Four minutes later, Mika Biereth's shot was thwarted by Costa who ensured the scores were level heading into halftime.

Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund broke the deadlock in the 78th minute having placed his effort into the bottom right corner following a pass from Andreas Skov Olsen. Despite A Selecao's efforts in trying to salvage a draw, the game ended 1-0 in favor of the Danes.

Ronaldo, who played all 90 minutes, maintained a 100% passing precision (24/24). However, he failed to register a key pass or a shot on target and lost possession of the ball twice (via Sofascore).

In the game's aftermath, several fans took to X to vent their frustration with CR7’s underwhelming performance, with one tweeting:

"Ronaldo should call it a day in the national team."

"Ronaldo as a main striker is holding this team back....he is not what he used to be," another added.

"At some point you realize the issue is one man at the top," a fan opined.

"My Fellow Ronaldo fans, we need to accept one thing, he's finished. After watching this game, it feels like he's holding the team back. No hate, it's just my thought. But seriously you can't argue about it," another chimed in.

"Yet another international knockout stinker for ronaldo. Tears man 😭," another shared.

"I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this but Portugal’s problem right now is Ronaldo," wrote another.

"He’s [Cristiano] my role model, I wasn’t making fun of him" - Rasmus Hojlund on his goal celebration against Portugal

Denmark v Portugal - UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg One - Source: Getty

Denmark forward Rasmus Hojlund has revealed that he wasn't making fun of Cristiano Ronaldo. This comes after the 22-year-old mimicked CR7’s prominent siu celebration when he scored against A Selecao on Thursday night.

In an interview after the game, Hojlund spoke about his goal celebration, saying (via Al Nassr Zone):

"He’s [Cristiano] my role model, I wasn’t making fun of him. He had a huge influence on me and my football career. Scoring against him and Portugal is great."

Hojlund came off the bench in the second half to secure a much-needed win for the Danes. The return fixture will be played at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday, March 23.