In the same news conference, Jesus said he did not expect to start Ronaldo against Denmark.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him to play, he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”
This time, the player did make the decision for the coach.
“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo posted on social media hours after Jesus spoke.
“In due time, I will tell all the Portuguese about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, which I always dedicated myself to. Now it’s time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”
Former Wales striker Bellamy, who was appointed national boss in July 2024, faced criticism from some fans after holding talks over a potential move to Burnley in June.
In a lengthy news conference after the Norway triumph, he said he feels people “could be kinder to each other” after revealing the negativity aimed at him had also affected his family.
“It’s not me but I have kids and a wife; it’s for them – they see it,” he said.
“I’ve lived in this environment and I had it as a player, but I think there’s ways we can speak to people, and just because it’s the game we love, it doesn’t give us the right to think we can say whatever we want to.
“We’re such a small country, I’m like… why can’t we have each other’s backs? Why don’t we look after each other more? Maybe that’s me.
“I’m not saying everyone’s above criticism, far from it. But I think it’s too easy, and we’re too quick.”
Who: Norway vs Portugal What: UEFA Nations League 2026-2027, Group A4 match Where: Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway When: Sunday at 7:45pm (18:45 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 15:45 GMT.
Record two-time UEFA Nations League champions Portugal continue their title defence on matchday two with a trip to Oslo against an exciting Norway side.
Spearheaded by Erling Haaland, arguably one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers, and captained by midfield maestro Martin Odegaard, Norway made a winning start too, beating their Scandinavian rivals Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling opener.
Frustrated after a string of missed chances in the first game, Portugal’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to rediscover his form as the team embraces a new chapter under coach Jorge Jesus, whose first game in charge was on Thursday against Wales.
What is the UEFA Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against equally ranked teams.
In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure that features promotion and relegation.
When did Norway and Portugal last meet?
The teams last met in a 2016 international friendly in Porto when hosts Portugal defeated Norway 3-0.
Norway vs Portugal: Head-to-head
Matches: 11
Norway’s wins: 1
Portugal’s wins: 8
Draws: 2
Norway vs Portugal: Form guide
(Last five games, latest results first)
Norway: W-L-W-W-L
Portugal: W-L-W-D-W
Who are the top players to watch?
Haaland and Oscar Bobb (Norway): A double from Haaland and another goal from Bobb set Norway on course for a winning start, and the attacking pair should be in the limelight in front of their home crowd this weekend. Manchester City’s Haaland, especially, has been in top form this term with an incredible seven goals in as many games across all competitions.
Ronaldo and Joao Felix (Portugal): Portugal’s striking pair of Ronaldo and Felix ought to be careful in the final third this time out after Felix’s lone strike in the opening win in Lisbon. Ronaldo had a goal ruled out and was among the players who missed a flurry of chances as Portugal registered a whopping 23 total shots but with only five on target, of which just one hit the back of the net.
On average, Erling Haaland scores more than one goal a game for Norway [File: Marius Nordnes/Nordnes Foto via Getty Images]
Will Haaland, Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes play?
Both forwards are fit to play, but Portugal will miss the services of their talismanic midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who is injured.
Fernandes has played in all seven of Manchester United’s matches this season and featured from the start for Portugal against Wales before being withdrawn in the 90th minute.
Jesus said he doesn’t want to “risk” the player against Norway.
“Against Wales, we went in with practically everyone physically available and came out with a complicated problem with Bruno Fernandes,” the coach said.
“He’s coming off an injury at United, and he told me he’s been playing with that pain for the last three games, which is hindering him.
“It was one of the factors that prevented Bruno from playing at his best against Wales. I’ve already spoken to him, and I prefer not to risk it in this game, so he’s fully fit for the Denmark match.”
Haaland: The King of the North
Haaland’s double against Denmark on Thursday marked another milestone in the 26-year-old striker’s enviable career. He is now the highest-scoring Nordic man in international football history, surpassing Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Haaland’s goal tally for Norway stands at 64 goals compared with Ibrahimovic’s 62. Incredibly, Haaland has shattered that record in 56 appearances – less than half of the 122 matches Ibrahimovic needed.
“It is not possible to explain nor is it possible to learn. He is born with it. It is instinct,” Norway manager Stale Solbakken said about Haaland.
Having made his senior debut in 2019, Haaland boasts a record of scoring more than one goal per game for Norway.
“It’s madness,” midfielder Sander Berge said about Haaland’s talent. “It’s everyday business that Haaland scores goals, so it’s reasonable that he is up there, but it’s powerful.”
What have the coaches said?
Jesus: “Norway are one of the strongest teams in Europe. They have players we know like Haaland and Odegaard who play at a very high level in England. They will create more goalscoring opportunities against us than Wales, and I hope we have the defensive capacity.
“There’s not much to improve. We’ll evolve the game we’ve already played, but I trust that the team will respond defensively and will be more creative offensively.”
Solbakken: “They changed the coach, and if you look at what he did at his previous clubs and the football they played, the way they played against Wales was a little different to what it was with [Roberto] Martinez. There were players in other positions, and we took that into account in our game plan. Obviously, they have good players all over the field. We expect a close and balanced game. It’s our home game, so we’ll try to stop their biggest assets, but it’s also important for us to play our game and be loyal to the way we’ve been playing in recent years.”
Have Haaland and Ronaldo ever played each other?
No, the 26-year-old and 41-year-old greats have never crossed paths. Norway and Portugal have not played each other frequently either.
Defence and tech companies have been taking part in annual exercises in Norway aimed at countering the threat against satellite signal jamming, which can affect everything from aircraft and ships to financial markets. Paul Rhys explains from Norway.
Moscow and Copenhagen trade blame for the incident as Denmark says it will not invoke NATO treaty.
Published On 15 Sep 202615 Sep 2026
Moscow has warned Denmark to avoid “reckless” action after a Russian frigate fired two flares that narrowly missed a Danish military helicopter.
Moscow’s ambassador in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, on Tuesday insisted that “dangerous manoeuvres” taken by the Danish aircraft were to blame for the Baltic Sea incident.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The Russian diplomat told state news agency RIA Novosti that he had delivered a formal note demanding steps to prevent a repeat of the episode.
He said that the helicopter’s actions were provocative and condemned Danish attempts to call them routine, saying they raised “serious concern about the possible consequences of such recklessness”.
The Fennec helicopter was on a routine mission to photograph the frigate as it sailed in international waters off Denmark, the Danish defence command said. Ships typically use such flares as warning signals.
Denmark’s Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus told TV 2 News that one flare passed within a “matter of metres” of the aircraft, and accused Russia of “deeply unprofessional seamanship”.
When asked if Denmark would seek Article 5 consultations over the incident – invoking the NATO measure that considers an attack against one member of the bloc to be an attack against all of them – Bruus said the incident was being taken seriously, but “we are not there”.
Barbin said he had complained last year about what he called dangerous fly-bys and low hovering by a Danish helicopter over the Russian warship Vice-Admiral Kulakov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying he lacked details.
The Danish Straits – where most Danish incidents with Russia have taken place – are the Baltic’s main shipping gateway and a key oil route, including for Russian oil tankers.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident serious but not surprising, describing it as part of a pattern of intensifying Russian hybrid warfare against Europe and testing NATO.
‘Fear and discord’
“Russia wants to sow fear and discord,” Frederiksen said, calling for closer unity and stronger defences for Denmark and Europe.
Russia denies carrying out hybrid attacks in Europe. However, the potential for the war in Ukraine to escalate and entangle Europe’s NATO member states is rising.
A spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry later on Tuesday warned Western politicians and diplomats to “soberly” assess the risks of travelling to Ukraine, following a Russian drone strike on a rail line on which a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed minutes earlier.
Rail hubs and transport infrastructure serving Ukraine’s military are legitimate targets, she said, and Russia warned foreign diplomats in May to leave Kyiv because of strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.
Moscow challenges Norway’s seizure of vessel, the Professor Molchanov, calling it an act of piracy.
Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026
Norway has seized a Russian ship in the Arctic to enforce a compensation claim by Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz, linked to Russian asset seizures in Crimea.
Norway seized the ship on Wednesday, after Moscow failed to pay Naftogaz $4.22bn plus interest and legal costs to compensate for assets it seized in Crimea after a tribunal ruling at The Hague in 2023.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
In a post on X, Naftogaz said the seizure made up “part of global efforts to enforce the arbitral award obtained by Naftogaz against the Russian Federation in connection with the unlawful expropriation of their assets in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014”.
The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was taken off the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard after a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to Covington, the US law firm representing Naftogaz.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson as calling the Norwegian action “piracy”.
Alexei Chekunkov, Russia’s minister for the development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, said Moscow would challenge the ruling.
Chekunkov called Norway’s seizure of the Professor Molchanov “another example of Western countries’ legal nihilism and lawlessness,” according to the Interfax news agency.
Naftogaz has been pursuing legal action against Russia since 2016 to seek compensation for the expropriation of its property in Crimea.
“Russia cannot evade responsibility simply by refusing to comply with an international arbitral award,” said Naftogaz Acting CEO Sergii Fedorenko.
“We will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world until the compensation awarded to Naftogaz and other Naftogaz Group companies is paid,” the Ukrainian company said.
Covington, the law firm, said it had been tracking the Professor Molchanov, a Russian-owned vessel that is used for commercial cruises, for months.
The ship was being used for commercial expedition cruises, including to Svalbard, according to the company.
Naftogaz said the passengers on board are being handled by Norwegian authorities.
