Portugal Defeats Norway 2-1 Without Ronaldo in Nations League

Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Norway in a UEFA Nations League Group A4 match at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on September 27, 2026, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for the entire match. João Félix opened the scoring in the 17th minute, and Gonçalo Ramos added a second goal in the 57th minute, while Erling Haaland scored for Norway in the 51st minute. The result marked Portugal's second consecutive win in the Nations League, moving the defending champions to the top of their group with six points. Norway remained in second place with three points after their opening 3-2 victory over Denmark.

Ronaldo's absence from the starting lineup was notable given pre-match expectations of a confrontation between the 41-year-old Portuguese captain and Haaland. Portugal's head coach Jorge Jesus opted to rest Ronaldo following what sources described as an underwhelming performance in the previous match against Wales, where Portugal won 1-0. Ronaldo remains Portugal's captain with 146 international goals across 234 caps, and sources indicate he continues to pursue a 1,000-goal career milestone across all competitions.

The match was framed as a generational battle between two of European football's premier goalscorers. Haaland, 26, arrived in form after scoring twice in Norway's opening Nations League fixture, bringing his international tally to 57 goals in 50 appearances. Despite Haaland's clinical finishing and Norway's home advantage, Portugal's attacking depth proved decisive. The victory underscored Portugal's squad strength beyond individual players, with multiple attacking options available to Jesus's new coaching regime.

Parallel to the Portugal-Norway match, Germany suffered its first loss under manager Jürgen Klopp, falling 1-0 to Greece in a Nations League fixture. Dimitrios Kourbelis scored the winning goal for Greece in the 74th minute. This result marked a significant upset in the competition, as Germany had begun its campaign under Klopp's management without previous defeats.