logo
LIVE: Germany vs Portugal – UEFA Nations League semifinal

LIVE: Germany vs Portugal – UEFA Nations League semifinal

Al Jazeera2 days ago

Hosts Germany entertain Portugal in the first semifinal of the 2025 UEFA Nations League.The match at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, kicks off at 9pm (19:00 GMT).Germany beat Italy 5-4 in their quarterfinal over two legs.Portugal, who finished top of Group 1, beat Denmark 5-3 on aggregate in their last-eight encounter.Holders Spain face 2021 champions France in the second semifinal on Thursday.Keep up to date: Follow Al Jazeera Sport on our website and on X for the latest news, features and live events from around the world.
Update:
Date: 9m ago (15:00 GMT)
Title: Welcome to our live coverage
Content: Hello, welcome and thanks for joining our live coverage of Germany against Portugal.
UEFA's Nations League is bubbling to a belting finish with Spain and France competing in Thursday's second semifinal.
First up in Munich, however, is the host nation against the team still punching above their weight on both the European global stage. That is mainly thanks to one of the greatest of all time – if not the greatest – Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still leading the line on both the international and domestic stage.
I'm Kevin Hand and I'll take you through the live build-up, as well as bringing you the photo coverage of the day.
Patrick Keddie will bring you the team news as it drops, as well as our comprehensive text commentary stream.
So stick with us for all the talking points, analysis and the action itself.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tottenham sack Postecoglou despite Europa League win
Tottenham sack Postecoglou despite Europa League win

Al Jazeera

time2 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Tottenham sack Postecoglou despite Europa League win

Ange Postecoglou spoke of his intense pride at his two-year stint as Tottenham Hotspur manager after it ended with him being sacked by the Premier League club. The 59-year-old Australian took the club to their first trophy for 17 years last month when Tottenham beat Manchester United to win the Europa League. But the club axed him on Friday after their worst top-flight campaign since 1976-77, finishing one place above the Premier League's relegation zone after losing 22 games. 'When I reflect on my time as Manager of Tottenham Hotspur my overriding emotion is one of pride,' he said in a statement released shortly after his dismissal was confirmed. 'The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. 'That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible.' Postecoglou spoke in the build-up to the Europa League final about changing the way the club is perceived, and he said his accomplishments should ensure that Tottenham will not have to wait so long for their next trophy. 'We have laid foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success,' he said. 'I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them.' While Tottenham fans were split over Postecoglou's future, he had a message for the supporters. 'I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters,' he said. 'I know there were some difficult times but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on. 'And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special. We are forever connected.' The 59-year-old ultimately paid the price for a horrendous Premier League season, which saw Tottenham finish 17th. 'The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place,' Tottenham said in a statement. 'Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.' Postecoglou leaves two years to the day after his appointment and 16 days after his side beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao for the club's first silverware since 2008, a win that also put them in next season's Champions League. The former Celtic manager has had to face questions over his future for several months, yet delivered on his claim early last season that he always wins a trophy in his second season in a job. He also took Tottenham to the League Cup semifinal, but their league campaign was their worst since the last time the club suffered relegation from the top flight, in 1976-77. Several of the club's first team have voiced their support for Postecoglou since beating United, but chairman Daniel Levy is now searching for his fifth full-time manager in six years since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019. 'At times there were extenuating circumstances — injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign,' the club said. 'Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.' Several managers have been linked to the Tottenham job, including Brentford's Thomas Frank and Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner. Postecoglou will walk away with his pride intact and a handsome bonus, but his recent comment to fans at the Europa League victory parade that the third season of a TV series is always better than the second now looks hollow. It all started so well for Postecoglou. He began the 2023-24 campaign by guiding Tottenham to their best start to a top-flight season since the 1961 title-winning team. That form soon dipped, and despite finishing fifth in his first campaign, the momentum had long since gone. This season, Tottenham earned only 38 points and lost 22 top-flight matches. They managed five points from their last 12 league games, and the only win they earned during that run was against a Southampton side who narrowly avoided becoming statistically the worst team ever in the Premier League. Postecoglou has pointed to a long injury list, which denied him the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Son Heung-min for significant periods. But while it has clearly been one of long-serving chairman Levy's toughest calls, he has concluded that Postecoglou is not the man to lead the club forward. 'We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision,' the club statement said. 'We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future — he will always be welcome back at our home.'

Yamal-Ronaldo set for first faceoff in Nations League final
Yamal-Ronaldo set for first faceoff in Nations League final

Al Jazeera

time8 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Yamal-Ronaldo set for first faceoff in Nations League final

Who: Portugal vs Spain What: UEFA Nations League final Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany When: Sunday, June 8, 2025 – 3pm kickoff (13:00 GMT) How to follow our coverage: We'll have all the build-up from 12pm (10:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport. Portugal, the inaugural winners in 2019, and defending champions Spain have set up one of the most highly anticipated international finals in years as the pair prepare to face off for the UEFA Nations League trophy. The final not only pits the Iberian rivals together, but also two of football's greatest talents – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lamine Yamal. Although at opposing ends of their careers, both were vital in leading their sides to Sunday's showdown in Munich. Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game – and the mouth-watering prospect of Ronaldo vs Yamal. Portugal beat the host nation Germany 2-1 in the first semifinal on Wednesday with Ronaldo scoring the winner. Liverpool target Florian Wirtz gave the Germans the lead early in the second half before Francisco Conceicao levelled just past the hour mark, with the winner coming five minutes later. Spain and France then served up one of the all-time greats in a 5-4 thriller that saw the latter come from 4-0 and 5-1 down to push the game to the wire. Yamal scored twice and was the star turn as he outshone the much-lauded French trio of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue – the latter two being fresh from Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory. There is little doubt that both finalists, and the defeated semifinalists, will see these final three games of the 2024-2025 edition of the competition as vital game time ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament itself, which runs qualification over a two-year period, has replaced the much-maligned and ever-more meaningless list of friendlies between nations on the continent, providing competitive games to keep club-focused players interested during the global international breaks. The way the two semifinals have played out has built even greater anticipation for the already notable final, and added weight to the Nations League value as a warm-up competition between the more prestigious World Cups and UEFA European Champions, both of which take place every four years. On the meeting with Ronaldo in the final, Yamal remarked after the win against France: 'Playing against Cristiano? He's a football legend. I'll do my job, which is to win the game, and that's it.' So much of the external focus in the build-up to the game will turn to the showdown between young Barcelona star Yamal and former Real Madrid and Manchester United legend Ronaldo. Yamal will turn 18 next month and has already stirred imaginations with star turns for the Catalan club over the last two years, helping them to a domestic treble this season. The Barca-born forward also shone for Spain in last summer's Euro 2024 success, scoring in the semifinal against France – only days before his 17th birthday. Taking to the field, and battling for the spotlight, with Ronaldo – regarded as arguably the greatest footballer of all time – offers a unique and potentially final chance for Yamal to prove himself against a player who, at 40 years of age, is winding down his career. With Doue's rise at PSG this year, and Yamal's ever-growing stock, the question has now been posed as to whether there is a changing of the guard from Ronaldo and Argentinian legend Lionel Messi as the game's two best current players. Both are strong contenders to lift the Ballon d'Or trophy – the award for the global game's best player each year. Spanish international Rodri is the current holder after helping Manchester City to their unique five-trophy winning year in 2023. Dembele, Mbappe and his fellow Real star Vinicius Junior will also be in the running for the 2025 award but Sunday's final could tip the balance in favour of Yamal ahead of the award ceremony in September. Much of the talk heading into the final three games of the UEFA Nations League has focused on Ronaldo's club future – and whether he would participate at the imminent FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The global club competition has been rebranded and expanded to 32 teams for this edition and is headlined by Lionel Messi at the host nation's Inter Miami, who will kick off the tournament against Egyptian club Al Ahly on June 14. Ronaldo's time at Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League appears to be over following a social media post from the forward following the final day of the competition's season. The question remains: Where next for Ronaldo? A host of participants at the Club World Cup are being linked with a move for a player who still grabs the headlines the world over, and it would give FIFA's attempt to elevate the tournament a much-needed boost. Spain won 1-0 in Portugal in a Nations League group stage match in 2022 in the last encounter between the sides. Alvaro Morata netted the only goal of the game in the 88th minute of the match at Estadio Municipal de Braga. Although this will be a first meeting for Yamal and Ronaldo, the Spain and Portugal on-field rivalry dates back to a friendly in 1921. Spain won the fixture 2-1 in December of that year and have claimed victory in 17 of the 34 encounters overall. Portugal have only recorded six wins against their neighbours, with the last being in a friendly in 2010. Six of the following seven matches have ended in a draw. Spain – who were defeated finalists in the 2021 edition of the tournament – beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in June 2023. In the 2021 final, the Spaniards were beaten 2-1 by France, whom they face in Thursday's second semifinal. Their victory in 2023 ended an 11-year search for silverware. Portugal beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2019 final. The match itself was played on home soil for the Portuguese at Porto's Estadio do Dragao, where Goncalo Guedes scored the only goal of the game in the 60th minute. Potential Portugal XI: Diogo Costa; Joao Neves, Ruben Dias, Inacio, Mendes; Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva; Trincao, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo Potential Spain XI: Simon; Porro, Huijsen, Le Normand, Cucurella; Zubimendi, Merino, Pedri; Yamal, N Williams, Oyarzabal

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