Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus made a surprising decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for the UEFA Nations League match against Norway. Jesus explained that Ronaldo, 41, played nearly 70 minutes in the previous 1-0 victory over Wales and needed load management to feature in all four upcoming matches. Goncalo Ramos started in Ronaldo's place, alongside Joao Felix and Joao Neves, with Ramos and Felix scoring in Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway. This marked Ronaldo's first time as a substitute for Portugal since September 2024, when Roberto Martinez brought him on against Scotland in another UEFA Nations League fixture. Norway's coach Stale Solbakken started Erling Haaland, who scored against Denmark previously and also found the net against Portugal. Ronaldo is expected to return for upcoming matches against Denmark and a rematch with Norway, potentially featuring a highly anticipated head-to-head with Haaland.