Ronaldo leads Portugal to Nations League final with first win over Germany in 25 years
Cristiano Ronaldo has led Portugal to its first win over Germany in 25 years.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo captained the team and scored his 137th international goal as Portugal came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in Munich in their Nations League semifinal on Wednesday.
It was Portugal's first win in Germany since a World Cup qualifier in Stuttgart in October 1985 — some six months after a future superstar was born in Madeira.
On his record-extending 220th appearance, Ronaldo became the oldest player to ever score against Germany while ending his "curse." The former Real Madrid star lost each of the previous five games he'd played against Germany.
Portugal hadn't beaten Germany since Sérgio Conceição scored a hat trick for a 3-0 victory at Euro 2000.
On Wednesday, Conceição's son — 22-year-old Francisco Conceição — pulled Portugal level just five minutes after making his entrance with a brilliant long-range strike inside the far post after he surged past Robin Gosens like he wasn't there.
Liverpool target Florian Wirtz had given Germany a 48th-minute lead with a perfectly placed header inside the right post, but Portugal coach Roberto Martínez made his changes count as he brought on Conceição and Champions League winner Vitinha among the substitutes.
Vitinha excelled as Portugal finished the game in the ascendancy just four days after he helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League final against Inter Milan in the same stadium on Saturday.
Germany needed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his best to prevent the visitors from scoring any more.
"When we're not at 100% then we can't compete with the top teams," said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was missing Jamal Musiala among others.
PSG wing backs João Neves and Nuno Mendes both started for Portugal, while Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade started for his Germany debut and had the home team's best first-half chance saved by Diogo Costa.
Conceição made his mark in the 63rd. Mendes gave Ronaldo a simple finish five minutes after that.
"It could have been more," Mendes said.
France plays Spain in Stuttgart on Thursday in the other semifinal, with Germany awaiting the loser to decide third place.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- MTV Lebanon
Ronaldo Engaged to Long-Term Partner Georgina Rodríguez
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has gotten engaged to his long-term partner Georgina Rodríguez. She announced the news on social media alongside a picture of a large ring, writing "Yes I do. In this and in all my lives" in her native Spanish. No further details have been shared. Ronaldo, who is the most followed person on Instagram, has not yet made a comment about their engagement. The couple have been together for nine years, after they met at a Gucci shop in Madrid where Rodríguez was working. He was playing at the Spanish club Real Madrid at the time. The Portugal and Al-Nassr player has five children in total, two of whom he shares with Rodríguez. Their youngest daughter Bella was born in April 2022, alongside a baby boy who was stillborn. Rodríguez has also helped to raise Ronaldo's other three children. The 31-year-old, who starred in her own Netflix reality show I Am Georgina, previously addressed speculation around her engagement status. On the programme, she said her friends were "always joking about the wedding." "Since Jennifer Lopez's song 'The Ring Or When' came out, they started singing it to me. And well, this is not up to me," she added. Famous faces including Kim Kardashian have liked the engagement announcement on social media. Piers Morgan, who interviewed Ronaldo in 2022, wished them "as much success in their marriage as he's had on the football pitch!" Celebrity make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury commented that it was "fabulous news". Lauren Sanchez-Bezos, who married Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in June, said she was "so happy" for the couple. The family currently live in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, where the Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr. He joined the club in December 2022 for a reported annual salary of £177m ($238m). In June 2025, it was announced that the 40-year-old's contract had been extended until 2027 after speculation that he was preparing to retire.
Nahar Net
5 days ago
- Nahar Net
Lewandowski to miss game because of hamstring problem
by Naharnet Newsdesk 08 August 2025, 17:34 Robert Lewandowski will miss Barcelona's friendly match on Sunday because of a hamstring problem, the Catalan club said Friday. Barcelona will host Italian club Como in the traditional curtain-raising Joan Gamper Trophy game before its La Liga campaign starts Aug. 16 against Mallorca. "The striker is unavailable for Sunday's game and his recovery will determine his return," the team said in a statement. Lewandowski scored 42 goals total in 52 appearances last season to help Barcelona win the La Liga title. His 27 league goals was second only to Kylian Mbappe's 31. The 36-year-old Poland international is beginning his fourth season at Barcelona.
Nahar Net
5 days ago
- Nahar Net
Dembélé and Kelly nominated for men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards
by Naharnet Newsdesk 08 August 2025, 15:22 Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and England forward Chloe Kelly are among the contenders to win the men's and women's Ballon d'Or award. The 30 men's and 30 women's nominees were revealed Thursday by France Football magazine, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Sept. 22. The 28-year-old Dembélé was inspirational in leading PSG to its first Champions League title after years of falling short and helped the French club complete a treble. He scored a career-high 35 goals overall for PSG last season. Teenage star Lamine Yamal, whose mesmerizing performances lit up the Champions League and helped Barcelona win the Spanish league title, is among the other men's nominees. Kelly starred for England at Euros When England won the women's European Championship last month, the 27-year-old Kelly blasted home the decisive penalty in the final against World Cup winner Spain. She also played a key role earlier in the tense knockout stages. Last season, Kelly played on the right flank as Arsenal won the women's Champions League with another against-the-odds win over powerhouse Barcelona. She faces competition from defender Lucy Bronze and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton — her England teammates who both play for Chelsea — and from Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past two awards. Barcelona players have won the past four women's awards. Bronze was runner-up in 2019 to U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe. PSG players in the spotlight Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men's award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Désiré Doué, who scored twice in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, and inspirational winger Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli in the January transfer window. The other men's nominees include Egypt striker Mo Salah, whose 29 league goals helped Liverpool win the Premier League, and prolific Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, who netted 44 times for Madrid last season. Midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or last year after impressing with Manchester City and Spain but missed most of last season with a knee injury. Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony last year in apparent protest because its forward Vinícius Júnior finished in second place. After staying away, Madrid and its players then vented their feelings on social media. The voting system The Ballon d'Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men's award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women's award. Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Other nominations PSG coach Luis Enrique was among the nominees for best men's coach and England's Sarina Wiegman best women's coach. Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG's success, is favored to win the Lev Yashin award for best men's goalkeeper, while Hampton is among the five women's candidates for that award.
