Germany 1 Portugal 2 – Ronaldo the hero as 137th international goal seals place in Nations League final

New York Times

2 days ago

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 137th international goal to help Portugal beat Germany for the first time in 25 years and qualify for Sunday's Nations League final.
The Portugal captain scored the winning goal in the 68th minute, staying onside and tapping home from close range after being set up the brilliant Nuno Mendes.
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Germany had led shortly after the break through Liverpool target Florian Wirtz, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder nodding home following a lovely dinked assist from Joshua Kimmich.
But Martinez's team were level when Francisco Conceicao, son of Portugal great Sergio — who scored three the last time they beat Germany back in Euro 2000 — glided past a couple of challenges and whipped a shot past Marc Andre ter-Stegen.
Portugal will face the winner of tomorrow night's semi-final in Stuttgart between Spain and France in the final in Munich on Sunday.
Tim Spiers and Seb Stafford-Bloor analyse the key talking points…
It looked like it wasn't going to be Cristiano Ronaldo's night.
One half chance went begging, then another, then he sent a free header over the bar, then he couldn't divert Pedro Neto's cut-back goalwards.
An accusation levelled at the 40-year-old in recent years (fairly, given his record) is that Ronaldo scores for fun in the qualifiers (10 goals in nine games qualifying for the Euros, five in five in the Nations League group), but comes up short in the big tournaments (no goals in five at the Euros, one in five at the World Cup) and the really important matches.
Well, here he was, in a big international semi-final, scoring the winning goal. Sure it was a tap-in, but the movement which preceded it was excellent.
He lurked in behind the Germany defence after a previous attack had broken down, then sprung into action as Nuno Mendes dovetailed beautifully with Fernandes, playing a one-two and then picking out the Al-Nassr striker, whose club future is unclear with his contract expiring this summer. He timed his run to perfection to stay onside and finish.
It was his 137th goal in his 220th cap and Ronaldo, for the umpteenth occasion, was Portugal's hero.
Tim Spiers
Wirtz got his goal and given how much attention was on him — and how aware of that he probably was — the relief in his celebration was understandable. It was a nice goal, too; a bit fortunate, but still typical of how effective his pass-and-move game can be in tight spaces.
This was not an easy night for Wirtz. Firstly, because he has not been in his best form since recovering from the injury he suffered against Bayern Munich in March and was only really playing himself back into form and fitness when the German season ended.
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Also, this was an unfamiliar German attack that he was placed in the centre of.
Nick Woltemade was making his debut and played well but has positional traits that often overlap with the role of a No 10 and need adapting too. At times, they got in each other's way and will need time to properly develop their understanding.
In the past, Wirtz has played alongside Jamal Musiala for the national team, as one of two No 10s behind Kai Havertz. This was a very different situation; there are few similarities between Musiala and Leroy Sane, for instance.
Still, for a player with a major transfer hanging over him, this was still an instructive showing. Wirtz was cavalier with possession at times and was occasionally too forceful in trying to create opportunities, but he moved the point of Germany's attack well, was bright and light-footed in possession, and skipped through a few tackles.
Was it classic Wirtz? No, his wattage was down on what it usually is. But that player — with all his slashing ambition and dynamic ball-carrying — will probably re-emerge after a full pre-season.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Bruno Fernandes endured a frustrating and fairly anonymous evening in Munich.
That was little surprise, seen as after a gruelling season of 64 appearances for club and country he was playing his fifth match in his fifth different country in the space of just 15 days.
His recent run of matches, including on Manchester United's post-season tour to Asia, reads…
He played 90 minutes in the first two games, then 45 minutes in each of the friendlies, plus 90 minutes here. Plus 15,000 miles of travel, not to mention making one of the biggest decisions of his career in spurning the advances of Al-Hilal.
Anyway, he looked absolutely cooked in Munich in a dreadful first half; no shots, no key passes, no accurate crosses from three attempted and he lost possession eight times.
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Fernandes' opening 45 minutes also included picking up a painful knock just before half-time when being unintentionally caught on the ankle by Florian Wirtz's boot, which required treatment and led to lots of limping and head shaking.
He rallied in the second half and produced a moment of brilliance with a shot that deflected inches wide, then turned on the charm with some sublime touches including in the lead-up to the winner.
Where he found the energy reserves from is unclear. But the guy undoubtedly needs a few weeks off.
Tim Spiers
Germany had a strong cast of missing players. No Musiala, no Havertz, no Nico Schlotterbeck and no Antonio Rudiger. Evaluating where they are without those key components, on the performance of an experimental side, feels quite mean spirited.
And yet there are still concerns with the World Cup now a year away. Both Portuguese goals were the result of the kind of systemic breakdowns that have plagued Julian Nagelsmann's team at bad moments in the past. The one conceded to Ronaldo was especially sloppy and had no place in international football.
Yes, the Nations League is nobody's priority and these are tired players, at the end of a season in which many of them have been competing domestically and in Europe. But Germany consider themselves among the favourites next summer and there is great deal of optimism already.
But what is the confidence based on? The body of work that suggests that they are a contender is quite slender, consisting really just of the wins over France and Netherlands in early 2024, and a relatively strong tournament performance in last summer's European Championship.
The harder truth, as this game showed, is that there are still too many fringe players who cannot be depended upon and Nagelsmann will need all of his first-choice players available next summer if he and his team are to live up to expectation.
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Beneath this team's top soil, things are not that healthy.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Portugal's trio of Champions League-winning Paris Saint-Germain players could have been forgiven for having an off-night here, just four days after they enjoyed the best night of their careers in the same stadium in Munich.
On the contrary, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha all played a key role in Portugal's comeback victory.
Mendes in particular was exceptional, taking up his typically advanced position in the opposition half, combining nicely with Pedro Neto who enjoyed a fruitful first 20 minutes, and then later setting up Ronaldo's winner with a give-and-go, a surge into the box and a perfect pass.
Joao Neves played at right-back, a position he has occasionally frequented for PSG under Luis Enrique. He was tidy enough defensively without the ball, then when Portugal were in possession he sauntered into midfield and was at the heart of Portugal's best moments in the first half, with Germany not knowing how and where to pick him up.
Vitinha came off the bench in place of Ruben Neves and it was his introduction, along with goalscorer Conceicao and full-back Nelson Semedo on 57 minutes, which turned the game back in Portugal's favour.
The midfield maestro upped Portugal's tempo and positivity, getting them on the front foot and asking questions of the Germany defence.
Roberto Martinez deserves credit for an intriguing team selection which foxed Germany, and then making the bold early substitutions to turn the tide after the break.
Martinez has an embarrassment of riches (Rafael Leao, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix didn't even get off the bench here) and often struggles to fit Portugal's ridiculous list of talents into a coherent team, but he managed it here on arguably his finest night since taking charge in 2023.
Tim Spiers
Sunday, June 8: Spain or France; Nations League third-place play-off (Stuttgart), 2pm UK, 9am ET or final (Munich), 8pm UK, 3pm ET
Sunday, June 8: Spain or France; Nations League third-place play-off (Stuttgart), 2pm UK, 9am ET or final (Munich), 8pm UK, 3pm ET
(Lars Baron/2025 Getty Images)