Depois da derrota, o jogador recuou.

Because da is the contraction of de + a.

• depois de = after
• a derrota = the defeat / the loss
• depois de a derrota contracts to depois da derrota

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese:

• de + o = do
• de + a = da
• em + o = no
• em + a = na

So depois da derrota is the normal, natural form.

Derrota means defeat or loss.

It is often used in:

• sports
• war or conflict
• elections
• any situation where someone is beaten or fails

In this sentence, since we have o jogador (the player), derrota most naturally sounds like a sports loss.

A useful contrast:

• vitória = victory
• derrota = defeat

Recuou comes from the verb recuar.

Common meanings of recuar include:

• to move backward
• to retreat
• to back off
• to pull back

In this sentence, it could be understood:

• literally: the player moved back
• figuratively: the player became more cautious or backed down after the loss

Portuguese often allows this kind of flexibility, so context decides the best interpretation.

Recuou is in the pretérito perfeito in Portuguese, which usually corresponds to the simple past in English.

So:

• recuar = to retreat / to back off
• recuou = retreated / backed off

This tense is used for a completed action in the past.

Other examples:

• ele falou = he spoke
• ela perdeu = she lost
• o jogador recuou = the player backed off / retreated

In Brazilian Portuguese, recuou is pronounced approximately like:

heh-koo-OH

A few notes:

• the stress falls on the last part: -ou
• r at the beginning of recuou sounds like a strong Brazilian h sound
• the ending ou in Brazilian Portuguese often sounds like oh

So the sentence rhythm is roughly:

deh-POYSS dah deh-ho-TAH, oo zho-ga-DOR heh-koo-OH

That is only an approximation for English speakers, but it helps.

The comma is used because Depois da derrota is an introductory time expression.

In English, this is similar to writing:

• After the defeat, the player backed off.

In Portuguese, the comma is very common after an opening phrase like this, especially when it sets the scene for time, place, or circumstance.

Examples:

• Depois do jogo, fomos embora.
• Naquele dia, ele não falou nada.
• Após a reunião, ela saiu cedo.

You may sometimes see short introductory phrases without a comma, but here the comma is natural and standard.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Depois da derrota, o jogador recuou.
• O jogador recuou depois da derrota.

The difference is mainly focus and style.

• Depois da derrota, ... puts emphasis first on the time/circumstance
• O jogador recuou ... starts with the subject and feels a bit more direct

Portuguese word order is often flexible in cases like this.

Normally, no. The usual verb is simply recuar, not se recuar.

So you say:

• o jogador recuou
• eles recuaram

not:

• o jogador se recuou ❌

This is different from some verbs that are commonly reflexive in Portuguese, such as:

• arrepender-se = to regret
• queixar-se = to complain

Recuar is generally used without a reflexive pronoun.

Yes. You could say:

Após a derrota, o jogador recuou.

This means the same thing.

The difference is mostly register:

• depois de = very common, everyday, neutral
• após = also common, but a bit more formal or written

In normal speech, depois de is usually the more natural choice.

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English might not emphasize it as much.

• o jogador = the player

In this sentence, o jogador refers to a specific player, so the article sounds natural and expected.

Portuguese uses articles very frequently with nouns:

• o time = the team
• a derrota = the defeat
• o treinador = the coach

Leaving out the article here would sound incomplete in most normal contexts.

It can be either, depending on context.

• defeat often sounds a bit stronger or more formal
• loss is very natural in sports

So in a sports context:

• depois da derrota = after the loss
• depois da derrota = after the defeat

Both work.

A learner tip: in sports, English often prefers loss, while Portuguese commonly uses derrota very naturally.