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Portugal recovered from a sorry World Cup exit to open their UEFA Nations League title defence with a 2-1 victory over Norway in Oslo, courtesy of a decisive strike from Goncalo Ramos and a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
The holders arrived at Ullevaal Stadion under new manager Jorge Jesus and left with three points, a clean sheet-breaker of a defensive wobble and momentum built on a second successive win. It was a performance that suggested a team absorbing a new coach's ideas quickly, and it came just four days after a 1-0 success over Wales in Group A4.
That win, and this one, matter because of what preceded them. Portugal's Nations League campaign begins in the shadow of a tame last-16 defeat to Spain at the World Cup — a tournament that ended far earlier than the ambitions of a squad packed with Europe's most decorated players demanded. Beating Wales and Norway in succession, both away from home, is a swift and convincing answer to the questions raised by that exit.
The evening's biggest talking point was on the bench rather than on the scoreboard. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, was named among the substitutes for the first time since a Nations League meeting with Scotland in September 2024. He never came on, with Jesus clearly intent on managing his workload across an expanded international break. The decision drew little of the controversy that would once have accompanied it: the veteran striker's role is now a managed asset rather than a fixed point, and the Portuguese coach appears comfortable making that call.
Norway, by contrast, were recognisable from the tournament that made them a household name. The World Cup quarterfinalists arrived having opened their qualifying campaign with a 3-2 win over Denmark, and they came with Erling Haaland in devastating form. What they lacked, as the afternoon wore on, was the finishing touch to match the chances they created.
Haaland had the first significant opportunity when Martin Odegaard picked him out, only for the Manchester City striker to mishit an attempted volley that Diogo Costa comfortably gathered. It was a moment of mild incongruity: Norway's talisman failing to test the Portuguese defence, and Costa, the man selected to keep them at arm's length, doing so with a routine save.
Portugal punished Norway almost immediately. Joao Felix, given time and space on the edge of the box, drifted a composed finish into the bottom corner in the 17th minute — a goal of real quality that rewarded the away side for a controlled, professional opening and sent the visitors into their comfort zone.
Haaland's response was emphatic and unerring. Shortly afterwards Costa spilled the ball into his path, but Ruben Dias — Haaland's teammate at the City — produced a superb block to deny him. The goalkeeper then produced perhaps the best stop of the night, plunging to prevent a downward header ten minutes before the interval. Twice Haaland was thwarted at close range by the man in green, and Portugal's reprieve laid the foundations for a decisive second period.
Six minutes into the second half, Haaland finally broke his duck, tapping in from Patrick Berg's header across goal. Within seconds, however, Portugal were ahead again. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, under pressure, passed the ball straight to Ramos, who chipped it coolly into the net — a goal that will haunt the Norwegian keeper far more than the one he conceded earlier.
Nyland was offered a chance to atone when Ramos intercepted another long ball over the top, but a video review ruled out the striker's opportunistic effort by the tightest of margins for offside. Rafael Leao then struck woodwork, a shot deflected onto the crossbar as Portugal pushed to make the game safe. Norway threw everyone forward in the closing stages, the goalkeeper included, in search of a second equaliser, but could not find it.
Ramos, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, told Sport TV that the win carried more weight than a scoreline of 2-1 in a new campaign might suggest. "It's a great win on a difficult away trip. It's been a great start [for new boss Jorge Jesus]. We're working together and taking the manager's ideas on board well," he said.
"From here on, it's all about improving and ironing out the kinks. We want to win every game. We're always focused on victory in every match."
His assessment is borne out by the evidence. Portugal conceded no more than one shot on target of real consequence to a Norway side that generated enough to trouble them, and their attacking threat was sharper — Felix's strike was a moment of individual craft, while Ramos's winner owed everything to a moment of Norwegian carelessness.
For Norway, the frustration will centre on Haaland. Three clear chances, one goal, and a point dropped at home against a side that had recently lost to Spain. The wastefulness in front of goal will feel like a solvable problem, particularly with Denmark next in the calendar and a home crowd to convert next time.
For Portugal, the significance is broader than points. Two wins in a week, away in Wales and Norway, represent the sort of start that forgives a new coach's early kinks. Whether the champions can convert that momentum into a serious title bid — and how long Ronaldo's minutes keep shrinking — is the next question on a campaign that has begun far more convincingly than it ended in the World Cup.
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