
Portugal beats Spain in penalty shootout to win The Nations league
Portugal defeated Spain in penalty kicks 5- 3 to win the UEFA Nations League final late on Sunday after both sides failed to score in extra time following a showdown that ended 2-2.
After Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Goncalo Ramos all smoothly scored their penalties, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved Spain's Álvaro Morata's spot kick before Neves converted his team's fifth to seal the win.
The win marks the second Nations League trophy for Portugal after lifting the inaugural edition in 2019.
Its victory against Spain, the reigning European champions, was hard-fought, as the Seleção had come back twice from behind.
Cristiano Ronaldo sent the match to extra time when he equalised in the 61st minute with his record-extending 138th goal for Portugal.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo went off to a standing ovation and a hug from coach Roberto Martínez in the 88th.
The keenly contested final seemed destined for Spain after Mikel Oyarzabal had given Spain a 2-1 halftime lead. Oyarzabal squeezed the ball past Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 45th minute after Pedri played him through on goal.
It was also Spain who drew the first blood after Martin Zubimendi broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a tap-in when Portugal's defence failed to deal with Lamine Yamal's cross.
Five minutes later, Portugal responded with Nuno Mendes levelling by drilling a low shot inside the far post.
Lamine Yamal, the Spanish sensation and favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, was mostly marked out of the game by Portugal full-back Mendes, ensuring Yamal could pose no major threat before being subbed off in extra time.
Earlier on Sunday, Kylian Mbappé led France to defeat host Germany 2-0 in Stuttgart, securing third place.
The Real Madrid forward helped Les Bleus bounce back from a sluggish first half by scoring one goal and setting up another for Michael Olise.
The goal was Mbappe's 50th for France in international competition.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Brazil and Ecuador book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup
Sport 05:00 Issued on: 05:00 min Sports With the World Cup just one year away, the list of qualified countries is growing. In South America, Brazil and Ecuador will be taking part. Ancelotti scores his first win with his new team. And then, from one World Cup to the next, clubs from all over the world arrive in the United States for Fifa's brand new competition. Barely crowned European champions, PSG already have their eyes set on a new trophy.


France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
Five of the stars missing at the Club World Cup
AFP Sport highlights five players who will not be lighting up stadiums across the United States once it gets underway this weekend: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Liverpool finished as English champions, but like Spain's Barcelona and Italy's Napoli, will not be at the Club World Cup, because of the convoluted qualification process. That means Egyptian winger Salah, who broke the Premier League record for goal involvements, with 29 strikes and 18 assists, misses out. After a tiring season in which he faded in the latter months Salah might not be too upset about having a summer off. The winger posted a photo of himself sunbathing by the beach on Instagram. However it will be a shame that African football icon Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and others miss out on the chance of a potential rematch against their Champions League conquerors Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool transfer target Florian Wirtz will also be absent, as his side Bayer Leverkusen did not qualify. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) No player in world football this season has offered more excitement than Barcelona's 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal. The Spain winger has been in sensational form for his club this season and is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. Yamal's thrilling dribbling and penchant for the spectacular make him one of the biggest draws in world football at the moment. He is often compared to former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but because of the Spanish champions' absence, may have missed out on his only chance to face the Argentina star, who will be there with Inter Miami. Barcelona's Raphinha, midfield maestro Pedri and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski are others who will be missed. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) Messi will also not go up against his long-time rival Ronaldo in the US. The Portuguese striker, 40, was reported to be looking for a way to play in the tournament. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had suggested Ronaldo might move from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr to a team who had reached the event, saying that "discussions" were being held over it. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who won the Nations League with Portugal last weekend, indicated after the game however he was set to stay at Al Nassr. "Some teams reached out to me," the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star revealed last Saturday on the eve of the Nations League final. "Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball." Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal are another team to miss out and after finishing the season trophyless, the Club World Cup would have been a chance to win some silverware. England international Saka's only club trophy, excluding the FA Community Shield, was an FA Cup win with Arsenal in 2020. Mikel Arteta's side showed this season they have improved to the point where they are in contention for major honours, including knocking out Real Madrid in the Champions League, but came up just short. For a player of his quality, who has spent six seasons playing regularly at the top level, Saka could do with expanding his medal collection. Arsenal will be disappointed to miss out on the prize money too, as they try to overhaul Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the English game in recent seasons. Neymar (Santos) Brazilian icon Neymar struggled with injury at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and returned to Santos in January 2025, hoping to get fit and firing ahead of next summer's World Cup. The 33-year-old forward, despite fading with age, is still one of the biggest names in the game and his absence is also a blow in a commercial sense. "Neymar, what can I say about him? He's an outstanding player, who, for me, in my football cycle, is in the top three, with Cristiano and Messi," said Brazil midfielder Casemiro.


France 24
16 hours ago
- France 24
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bn revenues
The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fuelled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League (WSL). Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season.