Cristiano Ronaldo was surprisingly an unused substitute in Portugal‘s 2-1 win over Norway on Matchday 2 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. Still, the 41-year-old celebrated the result with just one word on social media.
“Vamos!,” (which translates to “Let’s go!”) Ronaldo wrote in an Instagram story, sharing a post of the final score by the official Portugal national team account.
Speaking to ESPN before the game, Jesus explained why Ronaldo wouldn’t start against Norway, and the reason was pretty much load management. After the win, the Portuguese manager defended his decision to keep CR7 on the bench but hinted that he could get minutes against Denmark on Thursday, October 1st.
Jorge Jesus restricting Cristiano Ronaldo’s minutes with Portugal
Ronaldo started and captained Portugal in Jesus’ debut against Wales, but the second half raised eyebrows as Cristiano was subbed off after 67 minutes. The substitution came shortly after he had a goal disallowed for offside, but Portugal was winning 1-0 and Jesus didn’t deem necessary to keep his veteran star on the field.
Goncalo Ramos came on as Portugal held on to their 1-0 lead to claim all three points, and three days later, the AC Milan player gained the upper hand to be Portugal’s starting striker against Norway.
Jesus made headlines by benching Ronaldo but his decision paid off, as Ramos scored the game-winning goal for Portugal after Erling Haaland equalized Joao Felix’s opener in Oslo.
The only thing we heard (or read) from Ronaldo so far was this message on Instagram. We’ll have to wait and see whether he has something else to say about his lack of playing time on Sunday, but right now, it looks like all that matters to him is that Portugal won.
Portugal have two games left in this international break, as they’ll host Norway only three days after their upcoming Denmark fixture. We’ll have to wait and see what role Ronaldo plays in those games.
Key takeaways
- Cristiano Ronaldo remained an unused substitute during Portugal’s victory over Norway in Oslo.
- Ronaldo celebrated the win with an Instagram story.
- Jorge Jesus hinted at potential playing time against Denmark.
