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Portugal secures place in the last eight

Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in Porto in UEFA Nations League Group A4 to guarantee a place in the quarter-finals. Without Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup, the home side came from behind to make sure of a top-two finish in the group.

Under Jorge Jesus, Portugal picked up a fourth straight win in the group with the result. That booked the team a place in the last-eight stage, which will be played in March 2027.

Goals came quickly, with the lead changing after halftime

Despite the flow of the game, Kristoffer Ajer opened the scoring. The Brentford defender struck cleanly from around the edge of the box in the 36th minute and guided the ball into the corner.

Portugal responded almost immediately. Just two minutes later, Joao Cancelo levelled the score with a powerful shot from about 20 metres out. In the second half, Erling Haaland sent a ball across goal from a tight angle; the Norway striker was replaced shortly after by Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Ramos finished the job

The home side found the winning goal through Gonçalo Ramos. The Milan striker, starting in Ronaldo's place, scored from close range after a move set up by Joao Felix to seal the victory for Portugal.

Ronaldo was absent, and Portugal were reduced to 10 late on

Portugal played this match without Cristiano Ronaldo. The national team’s all-time leading scorer left camp on Wednesday after learning he would not start against Denmark.

The late twist for Portugal came when Francisco Conceicao was sent off. The young player was shown two yellow cards within seconds for dissent after a penalty appeal went unanswered. Even so, the home side held on in the closing minutes.

  • Portugal won all four of their opening matches in Group A4.
  • Norway left Porto empty-handed and suffered a damaging setback in the group.
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