Portugal booked their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with a resilient 2-1 victory over Norway at the Estadio do Dragao, extending their perfect start under Jorge Jesus and shifting attention
firmly back onto the pitch after Cristiano Ronaldo’s abrupt departure from the squad. The former Portugal captain had already left the camp days earlier after being left on the bench against Norway in Oslo and learning he would not start against Denmark. The 41-year-old walked out following what he described as reasons he would later explain to the Portuguese people. Jesus also said that the door remains open and expressed hope the veteran’s extraordinary international career ends on his own terms rather than under a cloud of controversy.
Portugal coach Jesus firmly downplayed any lasting rift after the home win. “I don’t know what Cris will decide. To me, there was never an issue. There are non-negotiable principles for a coach, but since there were no issues regarding my authority, for me, if Cris wants to return, he will be eligible for the next call-up, as long as he is playing for Al Nassr. It’s up to him.” he said
🚨💣 Breaking: Jorge Jesus opens doors to Cristiano Ronaldo’s return with Portugal! 🇵🇹
“For me, everything is OPEN. Cris has to decide what he wants to do with his own life”.
“It was a MISUNDERSTANDING and for me it’s EASY to resolve this situation”. https://t.co/tKjLSxO3ZL
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 4, 2026
The Portugal coach praised the collective effort saying “You need a lot of technical quality to beat Norway. We won without putting in a performance like the one against Denmark, but the important thing was the victory and qualification. I had a lot of belief in this team, but perhaps I didn’t expect us to have four wins from our first four games.” he added.
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Portugal beat Norway 2-1 to seal Nations League quarter-final spot
Portugal came from behind in front of a passionate home crowd to win the match. Norway took a surprise lead in the 36th minute when Kristoffer Ajer produced a moment of real quality, controlling a ball from Martin Odegaard and bending a spectacular effort into the top corner from the edge of the box. Portugal responded almost instantly as just two minutes later Joao Cancelo collected a long throw from Nuno Mendes and smashed a thunderous strike past Egil Selvik to level the scores. The second half remained tense as Erling Haaland threatened but failed to convert, while Portugal pushed for a winner.
The goal for Portugal arrived in the 79th minute when Joao Felix cushioned a pass into the path of Goncalo Ramos, who poked the ball home from close range. The hosts held on despite being reduced to ten men late on after Francisco Conceicao received two quick yellow cards for dissent and managed to win the match. The result also shows the depth available to the new coach. With Ramos, Felix, Cancelo and others stepping up, Portugal have shown they can progress without their all-time leading scorer in the short term. The result left Portugal top of Group A4 with maximum points from four games and guaranteed a top-two finish, securing a March 2027 quarter-final berth.
