Ronaldo Out, Ramos In, And Portugal Keep Winning With 2-1 Victory Over Norway

Portugal continued their perfect start to the Nations League without Cristiano Ronaldo, while Germany were held to a goalless draw by Greece on Sunday, leaving Jürgen Klopp’s side with plenty of questions after another frustrating night.

Gonçalo Ramos scored the winning goal as Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 to make it four wins from four in Group A4 and seal their place in the quarterfinals.

Ronaldo featured in Portugal’s opening Nations League match, coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 victory over Wales. He has not played since, leaving the squad after watching the second game against Norway from the bench.

Portugal have shown little sign of missing their veteran star. They defeated Norway 2-1, beat Denmark 4-2 and then secured another win over Norway on Sunday, with Ramos emerging as a key figure in attack.

Norway took the lead in the 36th minute when Kristoffer Ajer brilliantly controlled Martin Ødegaard’s free kick before smashing a half-volley into the far corner. João Cancelo responded just two minutes later with a similarly impressive finish.

Ramos eventually settled the contest in the 79th minute, finishing from close range after a move involving Vitinha and João Félix. Portugal were forced to defend with 10 men late on after Francisco Conceição was sent off for a second yellow card.

Erling Haaland endured another frustrating outing for Norway, failing to score for a second straight game before being substituted in the 67th minute. He has 65 goals in 59 international appearances.

In the other Group A4 match, Denmark defeated Wales 1-0 through a late Rasmus Højlund penalty to move into second place.

Germany, meanwhile, were held 0-0 by Greece in Thessaloniki. Despite dominating possession, completing more passes and creating more chances, Klopp’s team could not find a breakthrough.

Klopp introduced Nick Woltemade and Said El Mala, while Lennart Karl also came on during the final half-hour, but Greece created the clearest late opportunity through Georgios Masouras.

Germany have won only one of Klopp’s four matches in charge. The Netherlands defeated Serbia 2-1 in the other Group A2 game, leaving the Netherlands and Greece on eight points, Germany on five and Serbia without a point.

Elsewhere, Ireland and Israel drew 1-1 in a tense match in Backa Topola, Serbia. Ireland’s players again bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem in protest over Israel’s actions in Gaza, while Israel’s players wore black armbands to honour victims of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks.

Kosovo drew 1-1 with Austria, while Azerbaijan beat Lithuania 1-0 and Malta defeated Andorra 1-0.