Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal win second UEFA Nations League title, beats Spain
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal earned their UEFA Nations League title, following a victory over Spain in Germany on Sunday.
Ronaldo was in tears after his team won 5-3 on penalties. Ronaldo's 138th international goal scored in the 61st minute helped even the score at 2 and force a draw, which was settled in the penalty shootout.
Ronaldo left the game in the 88th minute, shortly before regulation concluded, due to an apparent injury. He was subbed out for Gonçalo Ramos.
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Ruben Neves scored the winning kick during a shootout after Alvaro Morata had missed a costly attempt for Spain.
Martin Zubimendi scored the game's opening goal to give Spain the 1-0 lead in the 21st minute of the game.
Nuno Mendes helped Portugal answer quickly, scoring in the 26th minute off an assist from Pedro Neto.
Spain held a 2-1 lead at halftime after Mikel Oyarzabal added a goal off an assist from Pedri.
Cristiano Ronaldo kisses the UEFA Nations League trophy as he celebrates with teammates.
For Portugal, the victory represented its second UEFA Nations League final victory. Ronaldo won the first UEFA Nations League final in 2019 over the Netherlands, 1-0, on a goal from Gonçalo Guedes. France (2021) and Spain (2023) also have won UEFA Nations League titles.
Portugal vs. Spain UEFA Nations League final highlights
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal win second UEFA Nations League title
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