Cristiano Ronaldo scores banger as Portugal beat Germany to reach UEFA Nations League final

New Delhi: Portugal defeated Germany 2-1 in a UEFA Nations League semi-final match, securing a place in the final. Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal contributed to the victory, marking his 137th international goal.

A late goal by a 40-year-old player, assisted by Nuno Mendes, secured Portugal’s victory. They will now play the winner of the Spain-France semifinal in the final, which is to be held in Munich on Sunday.

Five minutes after Francisco Conceicao equalized Germany’s opening goal by Florian Wirtz, Cristiano Ronaldo scored.

Wirtz scoring the opening goal. Wirtz, soon to join Liverpool for a substantial fee, capitalized on a well-placed pass from Kimmich, who was playing in his 100th international game for Germany. This victory came against Portugal, the 2019 Nations League champions.

Portugal challenged the validity of a Germany’s goal scored by debutant Nick Woltemade, claiming he impeded defender Ruben Dias. Although the referee, Slavko Vincic, reviewed the play on the monitor, the goal stood.

Substitute Conceicao scored a well-placed equalizer for Portugal in the 63rd minute, just five minutes after entering the game. He dribbled past the opposing defense from near the right sideline before curving a shot past goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, tying the score.

Portugal secured a victory over Germany, with Ronaldo scoring two goals. A late German attempt hit the post, but Portugal held on for the win.

A ten-minute delay preceded the match in Munich due to a hailstorm. This was the Allianz Arena’s second major event of the week, following Saturday’s Champions League final where Paris St-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0 to claim their first European title.

Germany controlled the early stages of the match, creating superior scoring chances. However, Portugal’s goalkeeper, Diogo Costa, performed admirably, thwarting attempts from Goretzka and Woltemade.

Portugal’s performance improved significantly in the second half, while Germany seemed to lose their momentum. Following their two goals, Portugal created further scoring opportunities, only thwarted by Ter Stegen’s impressive save from Jota and a subsequent shot from Conceicao.

Portugal scored two goals to beat Germany 2-1 which was their first win against Germany since over two decades ago. Portugal (2019), France (2021) and Spain (2023) were the previous winners of the tournament which is in its fourth edition.