Portugal extended their perfect start to the UEFA Nations League title defence on Sunday, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Norway in Oslo. Goncalo Ramos, handed a rare start in place of 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, emerged as the decisive figure for manager Jorge Jesus’s squad. Ronaldo remained on the bench for the duration of the match—his first absence from the pitch in a competitive international since September 2024—as the coaching staff opted to manage his workload during this intensive international break.
The visitors quickly asserted themselves after surviving early pressure from the hosts. Norway’s Erling Haaland struggled to convert his chances, first mishitting an attempted volley from a Martin Odegaard cross, which was easily gathered by goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Shortly after, in the 17th minute, Joao Felix punished that wastefulness by driving a precise finish into the bottom corner to open the scoring.
Norway continued to threaten, but Portugal’s defensive unit held firm. Ruben Dias denied Haaland with a crucial block after Costa spilled a ball into the striker’s path, and the Portuguese goalkeeper later produced a sharp save to stop a downward header from the Manchester City forward just before the break. While Haaland eventually leveled the score six minutes into the second half by tapping in a delivery from Patrick Berg, the hosts’ parity was short-lived.
The winning goal arrived shortly after due to a defensive error from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, who played an errant pass directly to Ramos. The forward capitalized immediately, coolly chipping the ball into the net to restore Portugal’s lead. Portugal nearly extended their advantage further when a strike from Rafael Leao rattled the crossbar, and a second potential goal from Ramos was narrowly disallowed by VAR for offside.
Nyland experienced a nervy moment late in the match when he misjudged a long ball, forcing him to scramble as Ramos nearly tapped into an empty net. Despite throwing all available personnel forward, including Nyland, in the closing minutes, Norway could not find an equalizer. The win marks Portugal’s second consecutive group victory following their 1-0 defeat of Wales last Thursday. Having also beaten Wales 1-0 in Group A4 on Thursday, jorge Jesus’s men have responded well to their tame World Cup last-16 loss to Spain.
Reflecting on the match, Ramos praised the team’s collective effort in a challenging environment. He told Sport TV that it was a significant victory against a difficult opponent, noting that the squad is effectively adopting the new manager’s tactical philosophy. Ramos added, “From here on, it’s all about improving and ironing out the kinks. We want to win every game. We’re always focused on victory in every match.”
Comments