PARIS: Portugal became the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the Nations League when they beat Norway 2-1 on Sun­day, but Jurgen Klopp’s Ger­m­any were frustrated by Greece.

The Portuguese showed they did not need Cristiano Ronaldo, who walked out of the camp on Wed­nesday when coach Jorge Jesus relegated him to the bench.

Goncalo Ramos secured victory in the 86th minute after Joao Cancelo’s powerful finish had levelled Kristoffer Ajer’s stunning opener from outside the penalty area for World Cup quarter-finalists Norway.

After the game, Jesus said he was prepared to allow 41-year-old Ronaldo to return to the national team — but that it would have to be the player’s decision.

“If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team... we can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who’s going to decide,” Jesus told reporters.

“In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’. And now I’m saying the same thing.”

Portuguese Football Feder­ation President Pedro Proenca also said Ronaldo remained part of the team’s plans, describing the episode as a misunderstanding that should be resolved internally.

“He is in the national team on sporting merit, and that must be unquestionable,” Proenca told RTP. “We have to pay tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Jesus, who also coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, expects the forward to be available for the next International window if he wanted to return.

Portugal next host Denmark on Nov 14 before visiting Wales three days later.

Klopp’s Germany failed to break down a resolute Greek side in a goalless stalemate in Thessaloniki.

Germany had the ball in the net through Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jonathan Burkardt in the first half, but his effort was disallowed.

Klopp’s record as new German boss now reads: lost one, won one, drawn one.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands beat Serbia 2-1 thanks to Joshua Zirkzee’s winner to mo­ve to the top of their Nations League group. The Manchester United forward was a second-half substitute in Eindhoven and applied the decisive touch with a tap-in from Tijjani Reijnders’ cross.

The match also marked Virgil van Dijk’s 100th international appearance.

New Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez is unbeaten after four games, with two wins and two draws.

“We fought like a family. We really had to suffer,” Xavi said. “We had to defend, but we actually wanted to play possession football. However we couldn’t do that, and we couldn’t get a grip on the game because of Serbia, who did that really well.

“But when we switched to a different formation, things got better,” the Spanish World Cup winner added.

Israel’s players wore black armbands in their 1-1 draw against Ireland to commemorate the victims of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, after Irish players had worn them in the previous match in Hungary to protest the war in Gaza.

The simple black armbands worn by the Israelis were inscribed with the numbers “7.10” to mark the date of the attack.

Just as in last week’s first match, which Ireland won 3-0, the Irish players again bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and the teams refused to shake hands before the match in the small Serbian town of Backa Topola.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had refused to host Israel on Irish soil for security reasons, following boycott calls.

On Sunday, Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead from the penalty spot 39 minutes after Dor Peretz fouled Jimmy Dunne.

But Peretz stabbed in an equaliser two minutes after half-time, sending it in from close range after a shot deflected off Ireland defender Liam Scales and into his path.

The result complicates Ireland’s qualification task as they now lie third in Group 3 of League B behind Austria and Kosovo. Israel are bottom with two points.

Wales lost again, as Rasmus Hojlund slotted in a 75th-minute penalty to earn Denmark a 1-0 win in Cardiff.

Welsh goalkeeper Danny Ward had kept the Danes at bay with a string of saves, but he conceded the penalty when he fouled Denmark midfielder Gustav Isaksen.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026