Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Goncalo Ramos is helping Portugal to forget all about Cristiano Ronaldo, while Greece frustrated Jürgen Klopp and Germany in the Nations League.
Ramos fired Portugal to a 2-1 win over Norway in Porto on Sunday to keep the Portuguese perfect in Group A4 with four wins from four games.
Ronaldo was involved in Portugal’s opening Nations League game, where he was replaced by Ramos in a 1-0 win over Wales, and hasn’t played since.
The 41-year-old veteran left the squad after watching the second game from the substitutes’ bench – a 2-1 win in Norway in Oslo – and Portugal showed no ill effects from his departure with a 4-2 win in Denmark then the latest victory over Norway.
Kristoffer Ajer opened the scoring on Sunday with a brilliant half volley inside the far corner from the edge of the penalty area after taking down Martin Odegaard’s free kick to set up the shot in the 36th minute.
A seemingly inspired Joao Cancelo responded in similar fashion at the other end two minutes later.
Ramos got the winner from close range in the 79th after a move involving Vitinha and Joao Felix, and Portugal survived Francisco Conceicao’s late sending off with his second yellow card.
Erling Haaland failed to score for the second consecutive game. He has 65 goals in 59 appearances.
Greece, who celebrated their first win over Germany last week, almost did it again. They held Klopp’s team 0-0 in Thessaloniki.
Germany dominated with more possession, more passes and more goal chances, but both teams couldn’t score.
Klopp tried reinvigorating his attack with Nick Woltemade and Cologne star Said El Mala for Jonathan Burkardt and Lennart Karl for the last half hour, but Georgios Masouras had the best chance late for the hosts.
Of Klopp’s four games in charge, Germany have only won one.
Joshua Zirkzee fired the Netherlands to a 2-1 win at home over Serbia in the other Group A2 game.
Teun Koopmeiners put the Dutch ahead with a free-kick from out on the right which flew straight in, before Mihajlo Cvetkovic equalised with a header.
But half-time substitute Zirkzee secured the three points with a tap-in from Ruben van Bommel’s cross.
A calamitous piece of goalkeeping by Wales’ Danny Ward gifted Denmark a 1-0 win.
Ward sliced a clearance straight at Gustav Isaksen and then brought down the Danish winger to concede a penalty.
Ward survived a VAR check for a red card but was then sent the wrong way from the spot by Rasmus Hojlund.
Dor Peretz cancelled out Troy Parrott’s penalty as Israel drew 1-1 with the Republic of Ireland.
Elsewhere, Kosovo drew 1-1 with Austria, Malta were 1-0 winners over Andorra and Azerbaijan beat Lithuania 1-0.
