Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal as Portugal came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in the Nations League semi-final on Wednesday. This was the 40-year-old’s 137th goal for his country, helping Portugal reach the final once again after winning the first edition of the tournament in 2019.
It was also a special win for Portugal, as they hadn’t beaten Germany since the year 2000.
Germany were the stronger team in the first half, but couldn’t score thanks to some brilliant saves by Portugal’s goalkeeper, Diogo Costa. He denied early chances from Leon Goretzka and Nick Woltemade, keeping the score 0-0 at half-time.
Germany finally took the lead in the 48th minute when Florian Wirtz headed in a clever pass from Joshua Kimmich. But Portugal responded well, with substitute Francisco Conceição equalising in the 63rd minute. Just five minutes later, Nuno Mendes set up Ronaldo for a simple tap-in to make it 2-1.
Interestingly, Francisco’s father, Sérgio Conceição, scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal beat Germany back in 2000.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez praised the team’s effort, saying:
“We need to enjoy this win – it’s been a long time since we’ve beaten Germany. Our tactics and teamwork were excellent.”
Germany tried to come back, with Karim Adeyemi hitting the post late in the game. In the dying moments, their goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen made a great double save to keep the score close.
However, it wasn’t enough. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who was playing his 100th match, admitted:
“The result was fair. We weren’t good enough. Going 1-0 up meant nothing because we didn’t follow through. This was one of our poorest performances.”
Portugal will now play the winner of the Spain vs. France semi-final in the final on Sunday.
