Portugal win without Ronaldo, Netherlands make the most of a draw

Portugal won the Nations‑League match against Norway, although Cristiano Ronaldo was not on the pitch, thanks to a 79th‑minute goal from Gonçalo Ramos; at the same time the Dutch team benefited from Germany's draw, which enabled its 2‑1 win over Serbia. Coach Jorge Jesus confirmed the performance, while coach Xavi Hernández praised his team's late lead.

Portugal without Ronaldo

Norway took the lead in the 36th minute through Kristoffer Ajer. João Cancelo equalised two minutes later with a long‑range shot. Gonçalo Ramos put Portugal ahead in the 79th minute with an assist from João Félix to make it 2‑1. Francisco Conceição received a yellow‑red card in the 86th minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo had already left the squad the previous week, after not being used in the return leg. Coach Jorge Jesus praised his team's performance and stressed that the side remains successful without the record scorer. With the win Portugal stays unbeaten in the Nations League and has already reached the quarter‑finals.

Netherlands benefit from Germany's draw

Germany's draw in the group gave the Netherlands the chance to secure the group win. In the first half Teun Koopmeiners scored in the 31st minute from a direct free kick. Mihajlo Cvetkovic equalised for Serbia in the 35th minute with a header. Joshua Zirkzee netted the winning goal in the 72nd minute after a combination.

Coach Xavi Hernández, the new Spanish head coach, highlighted his team's late lead. With the win the Netherlands took the top of the table. This keeps the side in the race for the group title, while the competition falls behind them.

In the same Nations‑League round Austria drew 1‑1 against Kosovo thanks to a late goal from Christoph Lang. Fisnik Asllani had put Kosovo ahead in the 70th minute.

Portugal has now recorded four consecutive wins in this edition of the Nations League. The team is already in the quarter‑finals, while the Netherlands now hold the group lead.

The two results show that both Portugal and the Netherlands can be successful despite different circumstances. Both sides have found the decisive goals at the right moments.