Portugal Punish Norway Errors as Haaland’s 65th International Goal Goes in Vain

Erling Haaland scored his 65th international goal for Norway, but Portugal capitalised on costly defensive mistakes to secure their second straight Nations League victory.

Haaland continued his remarkable scoring record for his country by finding the net early in the second half. However, Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland endured a difficult outing as Portugal took advantage to claim a 2-1 win.

Portugal had gone ahead through Joao Felix, who continued his strong start to the campaign by scoring for the second game in succession.

Norway responded after the break, with Haaland getting into the right position to tap home from close range. It was his 22nd goal in the Nations League, further extending his record as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.

The equaliser did not keep Norway level for long.

Just three minutes later, Nyland made a major mistake while attempting to play the ball out. The goalkeeper sent it directly towards Goncalo Ramos, who reacted quickly and produced an excellent chip to restore Portugal’s lead at 2-1.

Ramos remained a threat as Portugal looked to add to their advantage. Rafael Leao saw a deflected effort strike the crossbar before Ramos sent another attempt wide.

The Portugal forward later appeared to have scored again following another error from Nyland. However, the video assistant referee intervened and the goal was ruled out for offside.

Despite those missed opportunities, Portugal had already done enough to take the three points and maintain their perfect start with two victories from their opening two Nations League matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo watched the entire contest from the substitutes’ bench. The 41-year-old was an unused substitute and will therefore have to wait for another opportunity to move closer to the landmark of 1,000 career goals. Ronaldo currently needs another 21 goals to reach the milestone.

Portugal were also without Bruno Fernandes. The Manchester United captain was not included in the squad because of an injury.

For Norway, Haaland’s latest strike provided another individual milestone, but Portugal’s ability to punish mistakes ultimately proved decisive.