Portugal beats Spain to claim second UEFA Nations League title

By Olaolu Joseph

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 138th goal for Portugal as they defeated Spain 5-3 on penalties to claim the UEFA Nations League title for the second time.

The 40-year-old former Real Madrid star showed up to put his team on level terms for the second time in the final match played on Sunday night at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

Spain opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Martin Zubimendi, but the Portuguese responded in the 26th minute through Nuno Mendes.

The Spaniards reclaimed their lead in the 45th minute via Mikel Oyarzabal, taking a slender lead into the break.

However, the tireless Ronaldo rescued Portugal with a great finish to restore parity in the 61st minute, dragging the game into extra time.

Neither side could find a breakthrough during the 30 minutes of extra time, forcing the encounter into a penalty shootout from which Portugal emerged victorious, having scored all five of their kicks while Spain missed their fourth, with Álvaro Morata the unfortunate culprit.

Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes, and Rúben Neves all converted their spot kicks for Portugal, while Mikel Merino, Álex Baena, and Isco scored for Spain in the shootout, undone by Morata’s miss.

Portugal won their first UEFA Nations League title in the 2018/19 season, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final played in front of their home crowd in Porto.