Portugal qualify for the quarter-finals after a win in Porto
In the evening twilight at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal, under the direction of Jorge Jesus, beat Norway 2-1 to close the fourth matchday of the Nations League, securing first place in the group and official qualification for the quarter‑finals.
Match events
The match started at a balanced pace. In the 26th minute, goalkeeper Diogo Costa deflected a chance from Antonio Nusa, preserving the nil‑nil score.
Norway opened the scoring in the 36th minute thanks to Kristoffer Ajer, who volleyed a Martin Ødegaard cross from a free kick. The goal gave them a 0‑1 lead.
The Portuguese response came two minutes later. João Cancelo, taking advantage of a pass from Nuno Mendes, struck a half‑volley that found the top corner of Egil Selvik, equalising at 1‑1.
In the second half, the tempo slightly dropped. Erling Haaland attempted a badly crossed shot in the 61st minute, then left the field in the 67th minute, replaced by Jörgen Strand Larsen.
Portugal regained the lead in the 79th minute. From a Vitinha opening on the right, João Félix laid the ball back to Gonçalo Ramos, who finished close‑range to make it 2‑1.
Francisco Conceição was sent off in the 86th minute after a second yellow card, leaving the Lusos to play with ten men. Despite this setback, Portugal held onto their advantage until the final whistle.
Qualification and prospects
The Portuguese XI consisted of Diogo Costa; João Cancelo (Dalot, 63'), Diogo Dias, Rúben Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha (Bernardo Silva, 86'), Bruno Fernandes (Trincão, 92'), Palhinha (Rúben Neves, 63'), Francisco Conceição; Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix (Tavares, 92'). Norway lined up Erik Selvik; Sander Aursnes, Kristoffer Ajer, Martin Ødegaard, Ole Wolfe; Sander Berge, Patrick Berg (Thomas Aasgaard, 87'), Andreas Schjelderup, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa (Oscar Bobb, 74'); Erling Haaland (Jörgen Strand Larsen, 67').
The red cards involved Francisco Conceição, while João Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes received cautions. The referee was Maurizio Mariani (Italy) and 49,876 spectators filled the Estádio do Dragão. Thanks to this victory, Portugal retains the top of the group and officially qualifies for the Nations League quarter‑finals.