Portugal wins Nations League: Ronaldo leads his team to victory!

Portugal wins Nations League: Ronaldo leads his team to victory!

An exciting football festival took place in Munich on Sunday when Portugal had to compete against Spain in the UEFA Nations League final. In an exciting and exhausting game, which ended after 120 minutes with 2-2, the penalty shootout decided on the crown of European football.

The game started with an early shock for the Portuguese fans: Martín Zubimendi put the Spaniards in the lead in the 21st minute when he hit the empty goal after a precise flank from Lamine Yamal. But Portugal was not put off. Just five minutes later, Nuno Mendes equalized, who quickly overcame the opposing defense after a quick sprint. Then Spain shocked again: Mikel Oyarzabal made the Iberer 2-1 lead shortly before the break. Cristiano Ronaldo, who of course could not be missing at this crucial moment, was unimpressed and scored 2-2 in the 61st minute, his 138th goal in the national jersey.

penalty shootout and winning the title

After the regular playing time and the extension, the result of 2: 2 was determined and the penalty shootout had to decide. Here it went for Portugal like clockwork: all five shooters met, while Diogo Costa, the Portuguese goalkeeper, parried Alvaro Morata's decisive penalty. So Portugal secured the title for the second time after winning in 2019. Kleine Zeitung reported that the Spaniards had been looking for the first time since 19 competitive games.

Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Ruben Neves confidently converted their penalty. Only Isco hit the Spaniards while Morata lost the decisive duel. The referee Sandro Scharer led the game, which lasted a total of 127 minutes, including stoppage time.

game course and tactics

Both teams showed an intensive performance, but Portugal managed to disturb Spain's feared combination game with early pressing. A goal from Bruno Fernandes was revoked in the 48th minute because of offside, which the Portuguese attackers did not discourage. Ultimately, Spain's slow and patient building game was put under pressure, which contributed decisively to Portugal's success.

The encounter is not only remembered because of the exciting course, but also due to the impressive performance of both teams. Yahoo Sports emphasizes the tactical flexibility of Portugal, which changed a few key operations in the course of the game. The replacement of Ronaldo and Yamal was particularly remarkable before the penalty shootout, which kept the threads in their hands when it came down.

The question remains for fans: How will Portugal develop under the new leadership in the near future? One thing is certain: after this triumph, the anticipation increases to other big games. Another remarkable detail is that France defeated 2-0 in the game for third place in Germany, which only consolidated the position of the nation in the European football scene.

Overall, the final was a real spectacle that took both the fans and the players and underlined the character of this great tournament. SPIEGEL offers a detailed analysis of the game and player performance for all interested an.