Ramos Fires Portugal Into Nations League Quarter-Finals Without Ronaldo
Holders beat Norway 2-1 in Porto to stay perfect; Højlund penalty sinks Wales
2 min read
File photo: Gonçalo Ramos playing for Portugal against the United States in March 2026. Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
PORTO, Portugal — Gonçalo Ramos scored in the 79th minute as title holders Portugal came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 on Sunday, sealing a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals and keeping their perfect record in Group A4.
Portugal became the first team to reach the last eight, which will be played in March, Reuters and UEFA reported. Jorge Jesus's side have won all four of their group games and are six points clear of second-placed Denmark.
Cancelo answers Ajer stunner
Norway went ahead in the 36th minute when centre-back Kristoffer Ajer took down Martin Ødegaard's free kick and struck a half-volley into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area, according to the Associated Press. João Cancelo hit back with a powerful equaliser two minutes later.
Ramos settled the match from close range after a move involving Vitinha and João Félix, who headed the ball across goal for him. Portugal finished with 10 men after Francisco Conceição was shown a second yellow card four minutes from time. Reuters reported that he had given the referee a sarcastic thumbs-up after his first booking.
Erling Haaland failed to score for a second consecutive game, AP noted.
Door left open for Ronaldo
The win came days after Cristiano Ronaldo left the squad following a dispute with Jesus, Reuters reported. Jesus said afterwards that the decision on a return rests with the forward.
"If he wants to, he'll return to the national team… we can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide," Jesus told reporters, according to AFP.
"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, as quoted by Reuters.
Højlund penalty sinks Wales
In Cardiff, Rasmus Højlund converted a 75th-minute penalty to give Denmark a 1-0 win over Wales. Goalkeeper Danny Ward made several key saves but conceded the spot kick with a foul on Gustav Isaksen, Reuters said. UEFA noted the win extended Denmark's unbeaten run against Wales to five matches.
Sources: Reuters; Associated Press (via ESPN); UEFA; AFP (via The42)
