<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portugal continued their perfect start to the 2026\/27 UEFA Nations League<\/a><\/strong> with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix opened the scoring for the defending champions before Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half. However, Gon\u00e7alo Ramos capitalised on a costly mistake by Norway goalkeeper \u00d8rjan Nyland to restore Portugal\u2019s lead just three minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the match being promoted as a potential battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Haaland, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus left the 41-year-old captain on the bench throughout the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victory gave Portugal six points from their opening two matches and kept them at the top of League A Group 4. UEFA\u2019s official schedule confirms that Portugal began their campaign by beating Wales 1-0, while Norway had recorded a 3-2 win over Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway created the first major opportunity when Martin \u00d8degaard picked out Haaland, but the striker failed to make clean contact with his volley. Portugal quickly punished the miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 17th minute, Pedro Neto helped move the ball into Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix\u2019s path near the edge of the penalty area. F\u00e9lix kept his composure and guided a precise finish into the bottom corner to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was F\u00e9lix\u2019s second goal in as many Nations League matches, underlining his importance to Jorge Jesus\u2019 new-look attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway responded positively. Haaland almost equalised after Diogo Costa spilled the ball inside the penalty area, but R\u00faben Dias produced an excellent block to deny his Manchester City teammate. Costa later redeemed himself with a strong save from Haaland\u2019s downward header.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway continued attacking after the break and found the equaliser in the 51st minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patrick Berg directed a header across the face of goal, allowing Haaland to score from close range. It was the striker\u2019s 65th international goal in only 57 appearances for Norway, extending his remarkable scoring record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Haaland\u2019s finish briefly brought the home side level, but Portugal responded almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only three minutes after Norway\u2019s equaliser, goalkeeper \u00d8rjan Nyland attempted to play the ball out from the back but passed it directly to Gon\u00e7alo Ramos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Portugal striker reacted quickly and calmly lifted the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to make it 2-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramos, who started ahead of Ronaldo, also appeared to score again later in the match after beating Nyland to a long pass and rolling the ball into an empty net. However, VAR ruled out the goal for a narrow offside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rafael Le\u00e3o came close to extending Portugal\u2019s advantage when his deflected effort struck the crossbar. At the other end, Norway applied heavy late pressure but could not find a second equaliser. Reports noted that the hosts registered 20 attempts and eight shots on target, forcing Diogo Costa into several important saves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronaldo was fit and available, but Jesus decided the circumstances did not suit his introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Portugal coach explained that he had initially planned to bring Ronaldo on during the final half-hour. However, Ramos was playing well, had scored once and had another effort disallowed, so Jesus chose not to change his striker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Portugal came under greater pressure, the coach instead introduced players who could provide defensive balance and protect the lead. Jesus also highlighted the demanding international schedule after Ronaldo had played almost 70 minutes against Wales three days earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramos justified the decision by scoring his 12th international goal and delivering an energetic performance. After the match, he emphasised the importance of contributing whenever selected\u2014not only through goals but through his overall work for the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portugal now have two victories from two matches in their Nations League title defence. Their ability to win in Oslo without relying on Ronaldo also demonstrates the depth available to Jorge Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway will be disappointed after creating enough chances to earn at least a point. Haaland remained dangerous, while \u00d8degaard and Berg helped the hosts control long periods, but poor finishing and Nyland\u2019s decisive error proved costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the two nations meet again, Portugal travel to face Denmark on Thursday, 1 October, while Norway visit Wales. The Portugal\u2013Norway rematch will then take place at the Est\u00e1dio do Drag\u00e3o on Sunday, 4 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nations League continues to offer exciting matches, competitive odds and several betting markets. Football fans can explore match-winner selections, total goals, both teams to score, correct scores and in-play opportunities on Bangbet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always study team news, recent form and starting line-ups before placing a wager. Bet responsibly, set a clear budget and never stake more than you can afford to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portugal continued their perfect start to the 2026\/27 UEFA Nations League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix opened the scoring for the defending champions before Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half. However, Gon\u00e7alo Ramos capitalised on a costly mistake by Norway goalkeeper \u00d8rjan Nyland […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":14079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football-news","category-football-odds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14078,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14077\/revisions\/14078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix Gives Portugal the Lead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Haaland Scores His 65th Norway Goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gon\u00e7alo Ramos Punishes Nyland\u2019s Error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Did Cristiano Ronaldo Not Play?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Portugal Take Control of Group A4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bet on Nations League Football with Bangbet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Visit Bangbet to follow the latest international football action. <\/strong>
Bangbet <\/a>More Than Win!<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"