OSLO, Norway – Gonçalo Ramos stepped into the starting lineup in place of rested talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to score the decisive goal as reigning champions Portugal earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norway at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, securing back-to-back victories to open their UEFA Nations League title defence, international sports correspondents monitored in Oslo on Sunday night, September 27, 2026.
The result leaves Jorge Jesus’s side in command of Group A4 with six points from their opening two matches, having previously edged Wales 1-0 in Cardiff on Thursday night as the Seleção rebounded from their round-of-16 exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Okay News reports that 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo was named among the substitutes for the first time in an international fixture since September 2024, remaining on the bench for the entire 90 minutes as Jesus managed the veteran striker’s workload amid a demanding international calendar.
World Cup quarter-finalists Norway controlled the opening exchanges, creating the game’s first clear opening when captain Martin Ødegaard floated an exquisite pass toward Erling Haaland, only for the Manchester City forward to mishit his volley into the arms of Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Portugal punished the home side’s wastefulness in the 17th minute when João Félix collected a pass on the edge of the penalty area and guided a low strike into the bottom right corner beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.
Haaland appeared poised to level the contest moments later after Costa spilled a loose ball into his path, but Manchester City defensive teammate Rúben Dias recovered with an acrobatic goal-line block to preserve the lead, before Costa denied Haaland once again with a diving save from a downward header 10 minutes prior to the interval.
Norway finally broke through six minutes after the restart when Patrick Berg met a cross at the back post and headed across the face of goal, allowing Haaland to tap in from point-blank range to restore parity.
However, Norway surrendered the momentum within two minutes through a disastrous defensive lapse, as Nyland attempted a casual pass out from the back and delivered the ball directly to Ramos, who executed a composed chipped finish into the unguarded net.
Portugal came close to extending their advantage when Rafael Leão rattled the crossbar with a deflected drive, before another opportunistic effort by Ramos was overturned by a Video Assistant Referee review for a marginal offside after Nyland miskicked a clearance outside his area.
Despite throwing bodies forward into stoppage time, including Nyland who joined the attack for consecutive set-pieces, Ståle Solbakken’s side could not breach Portugal’s defensive block, leaving Norway with three points from their first two fixtures.
