The statements of Jorge Jesus, the national selector, at the press conference that followed Portugal's victory on Sunday in Norway by 1-2, for the League of Nations.
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27/09/2026
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News to Minutes
It was a great victory in tactical terms and results. It seemed like the team was blameless.. “ When you win in Oslo, in this case to Norway, you have to look really good. A very good team from an athletic, technical and even tactical point of view, know how to find spaces very well. This team is very well trained. It was a victory we believed we could win here. We worked on our defensive organization, then offensively we were a more creative team than against Wales. That's what happened. Congratulations to the players, it is now to recover, that Denmark is already there. But it was an excellent victory.”
Does Gonçalo Ramos justify the ownership already in Denmark? And what happened to Cristiano Ronaldo? “ The fact that Gonçalo made the goal does not justify this, as it does not justify Felix, who takes two goals, for example. Each game has a strategy, a dynamic. I have to pick the best for every game. Cris didn't play because the game changed my mind, wanted him to play in the second half, but I didn't think it was time to put him in the game. It does not mean that it is not him playing in Denmark, I am also able to touch the team in four or five positions, as happened here.”
For the legacy that Cristiano Ronaldo has, it's hard to see that he didn't thank you in the end? “ I believe 100% in you, but I didn't realize. I've been asked a lot of questions about that. Only he can answer. What's a fact is that it's not because I didn't play a player I don't count on. I'm counting on him, I told him I wasn't gonna put him in the game. But that's what football is, saying things, and I didn't think it justified putting a spearhead with Cris' features, knowing we have a game with Denmark. It does not mean that it cannot be a first option.”
Will you talk to Cristiano about this situation? “ I have to talk to him, obviously. But I know him very well, the Selection is the Selection. It's not the same as a club, but this is nothing new to me. The Selection is of all of us and I do not know how to respond concretely to his thinking. Only after I speak to him will I know.”
The Norwegian picker said his team created more opportunities and deserved to win. What do you think? “It is my colleague’s opinion, which I must respect. You saw a different game than mine. We didn't get to the goal so many times, but the times we got to the goal, we did. Four situations, three were goal and another was possible goal, it was cancelled. Norway had one or another opportunity in the air game, where Haaland is very dangerous. Big players are like that, but I think Renato Veiga and Ruben Dias did pretty well, especially in the second part. The first time we let Haaland do some head-to-head finishing. Palinha did important things on a defensive level. The team was fine in the first part controlling the diagonals, not so much closing the intersections, but I don’t like to comment on the opinion of my colleagues, I have my way of watching the game.”
Does João Neves fit your game model more than Vitinha? “ When you play every three days, the change often has to do with the physical condition. If you ask for both, on a normal level, without fatigue... Vitinha fits more, has other dynamics. But John has them, too. They're very attached to what they do at PSG. But Vitinha can't be defensive medium like PSG, he can't be tied up. In Selection I give you another responsibility and you will do better.”
Do you feel Nyland's mistake was decisive for victory? “ If I analyze for the game and think that Portugal was lucky because technically a player failed... I feel like we can’t analyze it around, because if so, whenever a player fails to pass is the luck of the game.”
Why do Portuguese coaches make a difference in Brazil? “ Because trainers over the last 10 years have created a training methodology that is not the same for everyone, because training is creativity, but they copy each other. That makes that quality make a difference when these coaches are ahead of quality teams. Players are also key to coach growth. We are a great school of coaches, certainly the best in the world, I have no doubt.”
Why didn't Cristiano Ronaldo enter the game? “ That question will arise from the fact that he did not play... Everyone asks me this question: why didn't Cris play? I answered and explained, I thought that given the result, within the limit for his game, which was the last half hour, I chose for other players.”