MUNICH, June 5 — Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive goal as Portugal rallied to defeat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, securing their place in the UEFA Nations League final. The 40-year-old netted his 137th international goal, sealing Portugal’s first win over Germany in 24 years.
MUNICH, June 5 — Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive goal as Portugal rallied to defeat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, securing their place in the UEFA Nations League final. The 40-year-old netted his 137th international goal, sealing Portugal’s first win over Germany in 24 years.
The victory sends Portugal to their second Nations League final, having claimed the inaugural title in 2019. They will face either Spain or France, who meet in the other semi-final on Thursday, in Sunday’s final.
Germany dominated early proceedings, but Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa kept them at bay with a series of superb saves. He denied Leon Goretzka just four minutes in and followed up with key stops to keep out efforts from Nick Woltemade and Goretzka again.
Germany eventually broke through in the 48th minute, with Florian Wirtz heading home from a lofted assist by Joshua Kimmich. But Portugal responded strongly, equalising through substitute Francisco Conceicao in the 63rd minute, before Ronaldo tapped in the winner just five minutes later from Nuno Mendes’ cutback.
The moment held personal meaning for Conceicao, whose father Sérgio scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal beat Germany in 2000.
“We must enjoy this win — it’s been a long time since we beat Germany,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez. “The team showed tactical discipline and total commitment. Now we recover and aim to show the same character in the final.”
Germany nearly levelled through Karim Adeyemi, but his strike hit the outside of the post. Marc-André ter Stegen kept the scoreline close with a late double save, but it wasn’t enough.
It was a disappointing milestone for Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who earned his 100th cap.
“We fully deserved
MUNICH, June 5 — Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive goal as Portugal rallied to defeat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, securing their place in the UEFA Nations League final. The 40-year-old netted his 137th international goal, sealing Portugal’s first win over Germany in 24 years.
The victory sends Portugal to their second Nations League final, having claimed the inaugural title in 2019. They will face either Spain or France, who meet in the other semi-final on Thursday, in Sunday’s final.
Germany dominated early proceedings, but Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa kept them at bay with a series of superb saves. He denied Leon Goretzka just four minutes in and followed up with key stops to keep out efforts from Nick Woltemade and Goretzka again.
Germany eventually broke through in the 48th minute, with Florian Wirtz heading home from a lofted assist by Joshua Kimmich. But Portugal responded strongly, equalising through substitute Francisco Conceicao in the 63rd minute, before Ronaldo tapped in the winner just five minutes later from Nuno Mendes’ cutback.
The moment held personal meaning for Conceicao, whose father Sérgio scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal beat Germany in 2000.
“We must enjoy this win — it’s been a long time since we beat Germany,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez. “The team showed tactical discipline and total commitment. Now we recover and aim to show the same character in the final.”
Germany nearly levelled through Karim Adeyemi, but his strike hit the outside of the post. Marc-André ter Stegen kept the scoreline close with a late double save, but it wasn’t enough.
It was a disappointing milestone for Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who earned his 100th cap.
“We fully deserved to lose,” Kimmich admitted. “We didn’t play well in the first half, and after going ahead, we lost control. If we’re not at 100 per cent, we can’t beat elite teams. This was one of our poorest performances.” — Reuters
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