Portugal boss Jorge Jesus will talk to Cristiano Ronaldo after the veteran striker expressed his unhappiness at not making an appearance in last night’s Nations League win in Norway.

Jesus’ decision to name Ronaldo on the bench was vindicated as his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored the winner not long after Erling Haaland had cancelled out Joao Felix’s opener.

The Al-Nassr superstar disappeared straight down the tunnel after the game, opting not to join his team-mates on the pitch as they celebrated the victory with the travelling supporters.

UEFA Nations League,
League A – 2

Ullevaal Stadion

Francois Letexier

Erling Haaland 51′

Joao Felix 17′
Gonçalo Ramos 54′

It was a clear act of petulance from the 41-year-old and Jesus confirmed he would speak to Ronaldo in the coming days.

He said: “I didn’t realise [Ronaldo had not celebrated the win]. I realised after the game and I have already been asked several questions about it. Only he can answer. The fact is that just because he hasn’t played today means he is a player I do not count on. I count on him. 

“Before the game I told him: ‘I won’t start you from the beginning, but during the game I’ll put you on.’ 

“But this is football, football dictates things to you that meant, in this case, I didn’t think it was justified making a change in attack. The game did not identify with Cris’ characteristics, knowing that we also have a game with Denmark coming up. 

“This does not mean that he cannot now be the first option in the game with Denmark [on Thursday].”

I know him well – Jorge happy to speak to Ronaldo

Jesus knows Ronaldo better than most with the pair combining to help Al-Nassr win the Saudi Pro League title last season.

He added: ”It’s true that I have to talk to him, don’t I? But I know him very well. Of course the Portuguese national team is the Portuguese national team, it’s not the same thing as a club, but for me it’s nothing new. The national team is all of us and he as team captain… I don’t know how to respond concretely until I have spoken to him.”

Ronaldo started the Group A4 clash with Wales last Thursday but came off midway through the second half in a game Portugal won 1-0 and they now sit top of the pool with a 100% record following the victory in Oslo.

“It was a good win,” said Jesus. “As far as I’m concerned, this Norway side is one of the top five in Europe. They’ve got a striker [Erling Haaland] who can score at any moment – it’s incredible. But our back line – and especially our two centre-backs [Renato Veiga and Rúben Dias], with help from João Palhinha and Rúben Neves when they got involved in defence – were very strong down the central channel. Even so, Haaland had six shots inside the box and scored from one of them.

“I’m pleased with the squad. This process isn’t easy. You have to make adjustments during the Nations League matches. This isn’t a friendly where coaches can experiment. Here, you try something out and it either goes well or it goes badly. It’s a risk. If it goes badly, you can’t go back.”