"""

Portugal keep their winning run going in Oslo

Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in Oslo on Sunday in UEFA Nations League Group A4 to claim a second straight win in the competition. Under head coach Jorge Jesus, the reigning champions followed up their win over Wales by getting past Norway and making a strong start to their title defense.

Portugal are showing signs of a rebound after being knocked out by Spain in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Norway, meanwhile, left empty-handed this time after failing to make the most of their chances following a 3-2 win over Denmark in their opening group match.

What were the key moments of the match?

Norway created the first big chance of the game. Erling Haaland could not get the finish he wanted with a volley after a move set up by Martin Odegaard, and Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa gathered the ball.

Immediately after that opportunity, the visitors took the lead. Joao Felix struck a fine shot from near the edge of the penalty area in the 17th minute to find the net. In the rest of the first half, Haaland came close to equalizing twice more, but first a crucial intervention from Ruben Dias and then a save from Costa kept the score unchanged.

  • In the 17th minute, Joao Felix put Portugal ahead.
  • Early in the second half, Haaland brought Norway level.
  • Portugal quickly regained the lead through Ramos.

Norway drew level 1-1 in the sixth minute of the second half when Haaland finished from close range after a header from Patrick Berg. But the hosts were soon behind again when Gonçalo Ramos pounced on a poor pass from goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and rolled the ball into the net to make it 2-1.

Ronaldo stayed on the bench as Ramos took his chance

Cristiano Ronaldo was named among the substitutes for Portugal for the first time since a Nations League match against Scotland in September 2024. The 41-year-old did not come on, with the coaching staff said to be managing minutes in an expanded international schedule.

Portugal also came close to adding a third goal late on. Rafael Leao hit the crossbar, while another strike from Ramos was ruled out for a very tight offside after a VAR review.

Norway pushed for a late equalizer and even sent goalkeeper Nyland forward in the closing stages, but they could not find a second goal. Speaking briefly to Sport TV after the match, Ramos said,

“We earned a very important win in a tough away game”
.

"""