Nations League: Portugal prevail without Ronaldo

At the 54th minute, Gonçalo Ramos capitalized on a mistake by the Norwegian goalkeeper to give the victory to Portugal, who were playing the second matchday of the Nations League in Oslo without Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch or on the bench.

Start of the match and first half

Coach Jorge Jesus left Cristiano Ronaldo, five‑time Ballon d’Or winner, on the bench from the kickoff. Portugal thus started the match without their captain, while the Norwegian goalkeeper guarded the goal.

The Norwegians dominated possession in the first period, taking almost twice as many shots as the Portuguese. João Félix opened the scoring in the 17th minute, following a pass from Pedro Neto, giving the visitors the lead.

The Portuguese comeback

Erling Haaland equalised in the 51st minute, bringing the match to 1‑1. Three minutes later, Gonçalo Ramos took advantage of a central clearance from the Norwegian goalkeeper to score Portugal’s second goal.

Portugal beats Norway without even a minute for Ronaldo

Ramos, a former PSG striker now at AC Milan, saw his brace ruled out by VAR in the 59th minute for offside. Jorge Jesus brought on Vitinha in the 55th minute, replacing a player absent from the starting eleven.

Implications for the standings

This win takes Portugal to six points, alone at the top of Group 4. Norway remains second thanks to a better goal difference, ahead of Denmark, which beat Wales three days earlier.

Three days earlier, Norway had won its first two matches, 3‑2 against Denmark and 1‑0 against Wales, making the battle for first place very tight.

Portugal leaves Oslo confident of leading the group, while Norway will have to rely on its upcoming results to stay in the race.