João Cancelo Scores Stunning Long-Range Equaliser for Portugal Against Norway Days After Winning La Liga Goal of the Month

Barcelona defender João Cancelo struck another spectacular goal on Sunday night, firing a fierce right-footed equaliser into the top corner for Portugal against Norway in the Nations League, just days after his effort against Racing Santander was named La Liga’s Goal of the Month for September, in a run of form that has made the full-back one of the most talked-about players of the international break.

Portugal were trailing after Kristoffer Ajer had given Norway the lead when Cancelo produced the moment that changed the match in the 38th minute. Nuno Mendes sent a long throw toward the edge of the penalty area, and the ball bounced into Cancelo’s path. What looked like a routine throw-in became a genuine scoring chance as he met the delivery with a fierce strike that flew beyond Norway goalkeeper Egil Selvik and into the top corner, bringing Portugal level. His timing and technique turned a simple restart into a goal that few defenders would attempt, let alone convert, and it gave Portugal a lifeline in a match they had been losing.

Portugal went on to win 2-1, according to ESPN’s match log, although the reports reviewed do not say who scored the winning goal. The result was part of a strong week for the team, which beat Wales 1-0 on September 24, won in Norway on September 27 and then beat Denmark 4-2 away on October 1. Cancelo started all three matches, according to ESPN’s records, and scored against Denmark, where the log also credits him with a shot on target. The Norway game therefore sits in the middle of a run in which Portugal collected three wins in eight days.

Yahoo Sports described Cancelo as “making a habit of scoring spectacular goals,” a fair summary of a few weeks in which long-range strikes have become something of a trademark. Counts of how many times he has scored during the international break differ between reports, with one Yahoo article calling the Norway goal his second of the break and another saying he has scored twice in four matches, so the exact tally is best treated with caution until it is confirmed by official match records.

The Norway goal came days after La Liga’s Goal of the Month award for September went to his strike against Racing Santander. That goal was scored in Barcelona’s 7-2 win at Camp Nou on September 16, a match that produced nine goals and showed how freely Hansi Flick’s side can score at home. ESPN’s video of the goal describes it as a stunner from distance. Cancelo said after the game that he thought it was the best goal of his career so far and that it was made “even more special” because it came while he was a Barcelona player. It is not the first time he has won the award. He also took it in his previous spell with the club for an eye-catching effort against Real Betis, so he has now won the prize in both of his stints at Camp Nou.

In league play, ESPN’s records show Cancelo started Barcelona’s 3-1 win at Sevilla on September 19, three days after the Racing game, and list him with one La Liga goal this season, the Racing strike, though that table may not be up to date. Reports also differ on how many goals he scored against Racing. Yahoo Sports said he scored twice, while ESPN’s highlights describe a second effort as deflected in by Racing’s Asier Villalibre, which suggests it was not credited to him. Official match data should settle the question.

Cancelo is in his second period at the club. He first played for Barcelona on loan from Manchester City in the 2023/24 season, after spending the 2022/23 season on loan at Bayern Munich, and then moved to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The Catalan club’s website says he rejoined on a permanent transfer from Al Hilal and signed for three seasons, and it described his first appearance back as his second debut, coming 601 days after his first, following his last game for the club in May 2024. The same site recalls that he was one of the stars of Barcelona’s Champions League win at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, a reminder of how quickly he made an impact in his first spell.

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Flick welcomed his return in August, saying that “what he can give us in attack is extraordinary,” according to a Barca Universal headline. Coverage of his recent goals suggests the attacking side of his game is a big reason the return has been welcomed. He has also regularly made clear how much he loves Barcelona and how grateful he is to have been given another chance to play for the club, according to Barca Blaugranes.

Preview coverage in late August had Cancelo projected at left-back in Barcelona’s lineups, with one outlet asking whether he, Alejandro Balde or Xavi Espart should be the starter in that position. Strong performances and goals strengthen his case, though the reports reviewed do not describe Flick’s current plans or say who has started there most often.

For a player whose primary job is defending the flank, long-range goals in a single international window are unusual, and they underline the attacking threat that both Barcelona and Portugal are getting from the position. Flick’s comment about what Cancelo can offer going forward fits that picture, and it suggests opponents may need to pay closer attention to him when he arrives on the edge of the area, as Norway discovered on Sunday. Mendes’s long throw, which created the chance, also shows how Portugal can turn restarts into attacking moments.

The next test for Cancelo will be the return to club football, where Barcelona will want him to bring the same sharpness from the international break back to La Liga. With a Goal of the Month trophy already in hand and goals for Portugal in the space of a few days, he arrives in good form, and the question now is whether the long-range strikes continue in a Barcelona shirt.