Portugal secures fourth consecutive win and advances to Nations League quarter-finals

Portugal qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals by beating Norway 2-1 on Sunday, thanks to a decisive goal from Gonçalo Ramos in the 79th minute. With 12 points from four matches, Jorge Jesus’s side completed this international break undefeated, despite the notable absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Seleçao nearly suffered an upset from the start. Kristoffer Ajer opened the scoring for Norway in the 36th minute with a superb finish, before João Cancelo replied two minutes later with an equally spectacular volley. Portugal then spent a long time searching for the winning goal, which Ramos finally scored late in the match to seal the result.

In the other group played on Sunday, the Netherlands joined Greece at the top of the standings with 8 points each. The Oranje dominated Serbia 2-1, with goals from Teun Koopmeiners in the 31st minute and Joshua Zirkzee in the 72nd, after Mihajlo Cvetkovic’s equalizer in the 35th.

Greece, for its part, held Germany to a 0-0 draw despite a clear German dominance, with the Germans controlling the ball 70% of the time without managing to convert. Jürgen Klopp’s Mannschaft remains on five points and keeps its chances alive, but will need to raise its level in November.