logo
Portugal Beat Spain on Penalties to Win 2025 Nations League

Portugal Beat Spain on Penalties to Win 2025 Nations League

The Suna day ago

MUNICH: Ruben Neves scored the decisive spot kick after Alvaro Morata missed as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Munich on Sunday to claim their second Nations League title.
Portugal twice went behind in regulation time but twice fought back to level the scores.
Martin Zubimendi took advantage of some sleepy Portugal defence to put Spain in front after 21 minutes.
The brilliant Nuno Mendes levelled things up five minutes later.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain's goalscorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, put La Roja back in front just before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo, quiet as he had been before scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, equalised with 61 minutes gone, adjusting quickly after a Mendes cross was deflected into the air, muscling past Marc Cucurella and volleying the dropping ball home.
Ronaldo was subbed off before full-time with cramp. Even though Portugal had the better of extra time, the match went to penalties.
Both sides converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes buried Portugal's fourth, before Morata stepped up and shot straight at Diogo Costa.
Neves nervelessly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal fans. The victory was just Portugal's second competitive win over Iberian rival Spain in their long history.
Portugal's only other win over Spain in a competitive fixture was a 1-0 victory which booted the Spaniards out of Euro 2004, with a 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left wing.
Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal's third major title, along with Euro 2016.
Portugal equalise twice
While Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal's fluid movement troubled the Portugese defence early in the match, La Roja's opener was scrappy.
Yamal chipped from outside the box and the Portugal defence froze, botching a clearance which fell to Zubimendi, who leathered the ball into the net.
The goal was just rewards for Spain's early dominance, but Portugal hit back almost immediately.
Mendes, put through by Pedro Neto, drilled a low shot across the goal and in.
Just before halftime, Spain picked Portugal's pocket in their own half before advancing. Pedri linked with Oyarzabal, who threaded the ball past Diogo Costa.
Oyarzabal's goal meant he has scored in three international finals -- against England at Euro 2024, which Spain won, and the 2023 and 2025 Nations Leagues, which Spain lost.
Ronaldo had done little other than encourage the heavily Portuguese crowd until that point but would pick his moment to strike.
With 61 minutes gone, Mendes shed a defender and whipped in a cross. The ball took a deflection and Ronaldo outmuscled Cucurella before lashing a volley home.
The goal was Ronaldo's fourth in 10 matches against Spain. The previous three all coming in a wild 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup.
Limping in the dying stages of regulation time, Ronaldo fell to the turf with three minutes left and signalled to the bench that his night was over.
Spain may have been confident when the match went to extra time, having won on penalties in 2023, but Portugal were faultless, Neves stepping up and converting to send his teammates, including a hobbled Ronaldo, streaming onto the pitch.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild
Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild

Malay Mail

time5 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild

MANCHESTER, June 10 — Manchester City completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves on Monday for a reported £31 million (RM178 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016/17, City are hoping to bounce back quickly with a major overhaul of Pep Guardiola's squad. They also spent more than £172 million in January on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez. City will face Moroccan side Wydad AC and Emirati club Al Ain before a clash of European heavyweights with Juventus in the group stage, which kicks off on June 14. 'City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true,' Ait-Nouri said in a club statement. 'I am also so excited about working with and learning from Pep (Guardiola) and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players.' Ait-Nouri spent five years at Wolves, initially arriving on loan from Angers before signing permanently for £14.9m in 2021. He is City's first left-back specialist since Benjamin Mendy, who played his final game for the club almost four years ago. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly have been among the players to fill a problem position for Guardiola since. French media report Cherki is on the verge of signing a five-year deal with Guardiola hoping to wrap up the forecast €40 million five-year signing by Tuesday evening in order to field the 21-year-old at the Club World Cup. — AFP

FIFA's Club World Cup finally faces the ultimate test
FIFA's Club World Cup finally faces the ultimate test

The Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Sun

FIFA's Club World Cup finally faces the ultimate test

WITH an eye-watering $1 billion in prize money, some of the biggest stars in the game and clubs competing from across the globe, FIFA's new Club World Cup has all the ingredients to be a huge event. But the 32-team tournament, which will be played across the USA from June 14 to July 13, has faced criticism and scepticism since the moment FIFA president Gianni Infantino began to float the idea. As a completely new arrival in an already crowded football landscape it remains to be seen whether the competition proves able to carve out a regular place in the calendar. Players representatives, such as global union FIFPRO, have warned of excessive workload on players while others have questioned whether fans will turn out in big enough numbers for the group stage fixtures. 'Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts,' FIFPRO warned when FIFA formally announced the tournament in 2023. Certainly the event adds to an already busy schedule for the world's top players. Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and Paris Saint-Germain's Desire Doue both played in UEFA's Champions League final on May 31 and then switched shirts to represent their country in the Nations League finals in Germany days later. They have since rejoined their clubs for the new FIFA tournament in which both sides are expected to advance to the latter stages. Those games late in the tournament, likely to feature the top European clubs against the best South American sides, should draw big crowds but it remains to be seen how well ticket sales go for the group-stage games with less globally famous clubs from Asia, North America and Africa included. Captivated Fixtures such as the June 17 encounter in Orlando between South Korean club Ulsan HD and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns will certainly require all the power of American marketing to attract a full house. But FIFA hopes that with broadcasters DAZN offering free streaming of the tournament and the lure of giant club and player brands, fans around the world will be captivated by the new competition. 'We are talking about something never seen before (that will) bring the magic of a national team World Cup to the club level,' Infantino said. 'This tournament will be the beginning of something historic, something that will change our sport for the better and for all future generations who will come to love it as we do,' he added. In an era when players drive interest as much as, if not more than clubs, the involvement of stars such as Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe should ensure social media is buzzing. Twelve of the 32 teams come from Europe including freshly crowned Champions League winners PSG, the continent's most successful club Real Madrid, Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea, and German powerhouses Bayern Munich. South America's six teams are made up of four Brazilian clubs, including Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and their Rio de Janeiro rivals Flamengo, along with Argentina's two biggest clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors. Adding local interest, there are three teams from Major League Soccer -- Los Angeles FC, the Seattle Sounders and Messi's Inter Miami, as well as a pair of clubs from Mexico in Pachuca and Monterrey, who can expect plenty of support in the USA. Four clubs represent Africa, including Egypt's storied Al Ahly who open the tournament against Messi and Miami on June 14, while Asia's quartet includes Saudi club Al-Hilal. American fans regularly snaffle up tickets for the big European teams who come to NFL stadiums to play pre-season friendly games and so the added competitive element should see healthy crowds for the headline performers. Questions over how seriously the clubs would take the new competition became somewhat muted after FIFA announced the huge prize fund. The billion dollars are split between participation fees for all clubs and the rewards for those going deep in the tournament. The winner could leave with as much as $125 million. FIFA's current plan is for the tournament to be held every four years but it will be interesting to see if that changes after the first test of its appeal. If it is a flop, the critics will likely re-appear and question whether it is needed at all but should it be a roaring success, it is not hard to imagine some at FIFA pushing for it to be held on a more regular basis.

Italy not in a good place for successor, says sacked Spalletti
Italy not in a good place for successor, says sacked Spalletti

The Sun

time7 hours ago

  • The Sun

Italy not in a good place for successor, says sacked Spalletti

LUCIANO Spalletti took charge of Italy one last time on Monday, and while his side sent him off with a win, the sacked manager accepted that he isn't leaving the team in a great place for his replacement and has failed to improve them. Spalletti paid the ultimate price for a 3-0 drubbing in Norway on Friday as Italy's World Cup qualifying campaign was already compromised in their opening game, and an uninspired 2-0 home win over Moldova was not how he wished to bow out. 'I'm disappointed with the result,' Spalletti said at his final press conference. 'I don't give back to those who come after me a great national team because we didn't play a great match tonight either. I was given the opportunity to work, I tried, I made mistakes and I even tried some experiments. 'I try to learn everything in whatever I approach, I'm not convinced I'm the smartest one. I haven't been able to get the best out of these players and I have to take note of that.' Spalletti announced his own dismissal on the eve of the Moldova match, which comes after less than two years in the role and included a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign. While he never thought of resigning, he conceded he has failed to improve things. 'If you agree to coach the national team like I did, then you have to find the solution. You can't hide behind the fact that you have few players, you start to find alibis,' Spalletti said. 'I did badly and in some ways it is right that I go home. But I didn't resign, because I think I can do better. But, if I am told that I am no longer the one, then I sign the resolution (of the contract). 'I left the national team as when I found it, just as it is.' Italy have yet to name his replacement, with Claudio Ranieri reported to be the first choice, and Spalletti was asked if he had any advice for his eventual successor. 'I tried to shake things up when I arrived but then maybe it was worse from what we saw,' he said. 'You realise whether you did right or wrong only later, I tried some things and worked hard. 'I wish all the best to the federation and to the new coach who will arrive.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store