Victorious Portugal united behind coach Jesus after Ronaldo exit - ESPN

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said his squad is united behind him as they shrugged off Cristiano Ronaldo's shock exit from the camp to beat Denmark 4-2 on Thursday.

Ronaldo, the top scorer in the history of men's international soccer, departed the squad on Wednesday shortly after Jesus had said in a news conference that the 41-year-old would start on the bench for a second straight game.

— Ronaldo's Portugal walkout is nothing new; he has a long history of rows with coaches

Portugal showed no ill effects from the saga or Ronaldo's absence in Copenhagen as the defending champions maintained their perfect record in the UEFA Nations League.

«There's nothing that should stop the group from being with me,» Jesus told Sport TV, when asked about whether he feels the group is with him.

«I understand the question. The important thing is what we have to do. The things that happen don't separate the group, they haven't separated us and they won't separate us.»

Asked if he would accept Ronaldo back if he wanted to return, Jesus said post-match: «A high-quality victory, with four goals, a top-level performance. It can't be overlooked, it's more important than everything that happened.

»That's what I want to focus on. Returning to Portugal, the people will fight at the Dragao stadium."

Jesus, who took over from Roberto Martinez following Portugal's World Cup round-of-16 exit, has put his team in pole position to reach the quarterfinals.

«I have a squad that believes in my vision,» he told RTP. «With so much individual quality, things come more easily. They're right behind me and my ideas.»

AC Milan striker Gonçalo Ramos took Ronaldo's place for the second straight game on Thursday and repaid his coach's faith by assisting João