Cristiano Ronaldo’s rare bench milestone in Portugal’s Norway win
· Yahoo Sports
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Cristiano Ronaldo experienced a remarkably rare moment in his international career as Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League.
The Portuguese captain started on the bench and, despite being fully fit and warming up during the closing stages, remained an unused substitute for the entire match.
It was the first time in more than 18 years that Ronaldo had failed to play a single minute in an official match for Portugal despite being available.
The previous occasion came on 15 June 2008, when Portugal faced Switzerland in their final group-stage match at Euro 2008. Luiz Felipe Scolari made several changes after his side had already secured qualification for the quarter-finals, leaving Ronaldo on the bench as Portugal lost 2-0 to Hakan Yakin’s brace.
Since then, whenever Ronaldo has started an official Portugal match among the substitutes, he has eventually been introduced.
Jorge Jesus revealed after the game that he had initially planned to bring Ronaldo on for the final 30 minutes, but Gonçalo Ramos’ performance changed his plans.
“It wasn’t the right moment to bring Ronaldo into the game; it was a tactical choice,” Jesus explained.
The manager also stressed that Ronaldo’s omission was not related to his fitness, insisting he remains part of his plans.
Unused substitute for the national team:
🔸 2026 - vs Norway (Nations League) 🔸 2024 - vs Croatia (Friendly) 🔸 2008 - vs Switzerland (Euro)