Munich – What started as a chaotic evening in Munich ended with Cristiano Ronaldo once again proving why he remains Portugal’s most reliable match-winner.
The 40-year-old superstar shrugged off pre-match drama to score the decisive goal that sent Portugal into the Nations League final with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Germany on Wednesday night.
Drama Before the Drama
The evening got off to a bizarre start when an overeager fan breached security during the warm-up, desperately trying to get a selfie with Ronaldo before being dragged away by stewards. Mother Nature then joined the chaos, with an electrical storm forcing a 10-minute delay to kick-off.
But if the disruptions were meant to unsettle Portugal, nobody told their players.
Germany Strike First
Portugal and Germany delivered a thrilling match in Munich that ended in a 2-1 victory for Roberto Martinez’s side, though it wasn’t plain sailing from the start.
Germany came out firing after the break, with Joshua Kimmich celebrating his 100th international cap in style. The Bayern Munich captain delivered a perfectly weighted cross that found Florian Wirtz, who controlled brilliantly before slotting home to give the hosts a 48th-minute lead.
The Liverpool transfer target’s header seemed to have put Germany on course for their own final appearance, but Portugal had other ideas.
The Portuguese Fightback
Football often produces moments that feel written by destiny, and Francisco Conceicao’s equaliser was exactly that. The young forward, whose father Sergio famously scored when Portugal last beat Germany at Euro 2000, found the net with a stunning strike that brought his side level.
Five minutes later, Portugal completed their comeback in the simplest fashion possible. A well-worked move found its way to Ronaldo, who showed all his experience to tap home what would prove to be the winner.
The goal took his international tally to 137 – a record that seems to grow every time he pulls on the Portugal shirt.
A Night of Fine Margins
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa deserves enormous credit for keeping his side in the contest during Germany’s early dominance. The keeper produced two magnificent saves to deny Nick Woltemade and Leon Goretzka when the outcome hung in the balance.
At the other end, Ronaldo came agonisingly close to opening the scoring early in the second half, with a Nuno Mendes cross grazing his studs when a mere touch would have given Portugal the lead.
Such fine margins often decide football matches, and on this occasion, they fell Portugal’s way.
What This Means
Portugal are now one match away from capturing the trophy for the second time in their history, having previously won the competition in 2019.
They’ll face either Spain or France in Sunday’s final, with both teams offering different challenges for Martinez’s men.
For Germany, it’s another case of what might have been. Despite taking the lead and creating good chances throughout, they couldn’t find a way past a Portugal side that showed exactly why experience matters in knockout football.
