Portugal beats Norway without even a minute for Ronaldo

Portugal secured the win against Norway in the second round of the Nations League without giving Cristiano Ronaldo a single minute of play, an occurrence that had not happened in more than six thousand days.

An unexpected record in the Nations League

The match, broadcast live with Calcio Highlights Live, saw the Portuguese attack operate without Ronaldo’s contribution, who at 41 years old remained on the bench for the entire game. The team nevertheless beat Norway, confirming its position in the standings.

The historical context of Ronaldo in the national team

The last time CR7 came onto the field from the bench with the national team dates back to September 2024, when the former Juventus player scored the winning goal in the 2‑1 victory over Scotland. In 234 appearances, the match against Norway was the eighth occasion on which the 41‑year‑old started the game from the bench.

The most surprising fact is that the last time Ronaldo spent an entire match on the bench for Portugal was 18 years ago, precisely 6,678 days ago, on 15 June 2008, in a European match lost 2‑0 to Switzerland. On that date Portugal had already qualified for the next stage.

If friendlies are taken into account, Ronaldo did, however, complete 90 minutes on the bench in June 2024, during the friendly match between Portugal and Croatia, which took place two years ago.

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