Ronaldo-less Portugal beat Norway 2-1 to reach Nations League quarterfinals
Published On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026.
Published On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026.
Article outline
- What happened
- What comes next
- The details
- A closer look
- The bottom line
Key points
- Goncalo Ramos secured victory for Jorge Jesus's Portugal in the Group A4 clash after Joao Cancelo's rocket levelled Kristoffer Ajer's stunning opener for Norway.
- Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 on Sunday, without superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo, to qualify for the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals.
- Manchester City striker Erling Haaland fired throughout the face of goal after an hour and was replaced by Jorgen Strand Larsen a few minutes afterwards.
- Portugal are now guaranteed to finish in the top two spots in the group, thus granting them passage to the last eight in March 2027.
- Norway took the lead in Porto against the run of play with a stunning effort from Brentford defender Ajer after 36 minutes.
Portugal played out the final minutes with 10 men after Francisco Conceicao was dismissed for two yellow cards in the space of a few seconds for dissent after his unsuccesful appeal for a penalty.
After Portugal's all-time top goalscorer learned he would not start, former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker Ronaldo walked out on the squad on Wednesday, ahead of the previous game against Denmark.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian met a bouncing ball on the edge of the box perfectly and bent it into the top corner.
Nevertheless, two minutes afterwards, Barcelona defender Cancelo scored a similarly superb goal, rifling home from regarding 20 yards.
Nations League holders and two-time record champions Portugal nosed in front when AC Milan striker Ramos, starting in place of Ronaldo, tucked home from close range after being teed up by Joao Felix.
Conceicao's foolish dismissal left Jesus's team in a tough spot for the final few minutes, but they held on to triumph for the fourth time in four games in the group.
For now, ronaldo-less Portugal beat Norway 2-1 to reach Nations League quarterfinals remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.
