Portugal Advances to UEFA Nations League Final

MUNICH: In a thrilling match at Allianz Arena on Wednesday, Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Germany to advance to the UEFA Nations League final. Cristiano Ronaldo’s decisive goal sealed the win after Portugal rallied from an initial deficit.

Ronaldo’s goal, his 137th on the international stage, marked Portugal’s first triumph over Germany since 2000.

This will be Portugal’s second appearance in the Nations League final, having previously won the title in the inaugural 2019 edition.

Despite Germany’s dominance in the first half, Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa delivered outstanding saves, keeping the score level.

Germany’s Florian Wirtz broke the deadlock in the 48th minute with a header into the right corner, assisted by a precise pass from Joshua Kimmich.

However, Francisco Conceicao, coming off the bench, shifted the momentum for Portugal, scoring an impressive goal in the 63rd minute to equalize. Five minutes later, Ronaldo scored following a well-placed pass from Nuno Mendes.

For Conceicao, this victory held special significance, as his father, Sergio, had scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal defeated Germany at the European Championship in 2000.

Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez, commended his team’s performance, emphasizing their tactical execution. He said that the team displayed remarkable tactical prowess.

“We need to enjoy the victory – we won for the first time in a while against Germany. Tactically we were exceptional and our commitment helped… it was a team victory,” Martinez stated.

“Now we can recover and evaluate. We want another performance with personality in this shirt,” he added.

Spain is set to play against France in the second semi-final on Thursday. The winner will face Portugal in the final match on Sunday.