Portugal secured their second consecutive victory in the UEFA Nations League after defeating host Norway 2-1 in a match where star Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the bench.
Portugal entered the match with an attacking lineup led by Gonçalo Ramos and João Félix, as coach Jorge Jesus decided to keep Ronaldo out of the starting eleven, while Norway relied on their top scorer Erling Haaland alongside Sverre Nypan and Antonio Nusa.
Despite a strong start by the home side, Portugal took the initiative to score in the 17th minute when Neto delivered a cross to João Félix, who capitalized on it and accurately shot it into the net, giving his national team the lead.
Norway managed to equalize at the beginning of the second half after Haaland exploited a mistake by goalkeeper Diogo Costa in handling a free kick taken by Martin Ødegaard, slotting the ball into the empty net in the 51st minute.
However, the draw did not last long, as Gonçalo Ramos restored Portugal's lead just three minutes later, capitalizing on a grave error by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, breaking away one-on-one and brilliantly lifting the ball over him to score the visitors' second goal.
Jesus then substituted Rafael Leão and Vitinha in an attempt to maintain superiority and secure the result, but Portugal settled for a 2-1 victory, earning their second consecutive win and continuing their strong campaign in the group.
This defeat was exceptional, as Norway's last home loss prior to facing Portugal was against Spain by a 1-0 scoreline on October 15, 2023, during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Since that defeat, the Norwegian national team had maintained an unbeaten record in their home matches in Oslo across 15 consecutive games, achieving 11 victories and 4 draws, before this streak ended with the loss to Portugal.
