Tributes precede heavy home defeat
Fernandes watched an emotional occasion turn sour in Braga as players and mascots walked out in 'Ronaldo 7' shirts alongside 'GOAT' and 'thank you, captain' tributes honouring the 41-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo ended his world-record career of 146 goals in 234 caps via social media last week after a September walkout over being benched against Denmark brought a £215 fine and 30-day ban, though boss Jorge Jesus still planned to pick him.
Handed the iconic number seven shirt, Club Brugge winger Carlos Forbs made little impact off the bench after the hour mark.
Playmaker admits visitors blocked centre
On the pitch, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg converted a penalty just before half-time following a Ruben Dias handball, before Napoli striker Rasmus Hojlund struck twice in eight minutes early in the second half. Fulham defender Joachim Andersen then headed in a fourth after 75 minutes prior to Real Madrid midfielder Bernardo Silva netting a stoppage-time consolation after Joao Neves was denied.
Speaking to Canal 11 afterwards, Fernandes explained how the visitors nullified Portugal's usual strengths: "There are no nights to forget; it was a night of learning, of seeing the mistakes we made. It was a difficult match for us: we couldn't get into the game the way we wanted to.
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"We're usually a very strong side when playing down the centre. Denmark were very clever in closing us down in the centre; we couldn't get through there very often to create chances. We tried more often down the flanks, in one-on-one situations, to get the cross in - we know they're strong in that area."
Midfield intensity stifled attacking threat
Praising the clinical visitors while looking for positives to carry forward, Fernandes continued: "Denmark were also very clinical - they scored from the chances they had and it was a match where things ultimately went wrong for us. However, we're aware that not everything we did was positive and there are areas for improvement. That said, it's not all negative today, and there are positive aspects to take from this match into the next one."
Detailing how the Danes disrupted Portugal's build-up play through the middle, he added: "They were more intense through the middle and closed down the spaces, even when we had the ball. They caused us problems, particularly with [Mikkel] Damsgaard playing between the lines.
"It was difficult to find someone for me to mark and we lacked the ability to pick out Joao Felix more often. It ended up being difficult to build play through the middle ... and they forced us to play more out wide than through the middle, which is our strength."
Cardiff trip decides group winners
Having won their opening four Group A4 fixtures to book a quarter-final spot, Portugal remain three points clear at the top despite Saturday's heavy loss. Consequently, Jesus' men only need to avoid defeat against Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday to advance as group winners. Meanwhile, second-placed Denmark will host Scandinavian neighbours Norway on the same night looking to build on their emphatic victory in Braga.
