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On Sunday, June 8, Portugal ended their long-awaited title drought as they lifted the UEFA Nations League, beating Spain 5-3 on penalties at the Allianz Arena in Munich. With both sides starting strong, Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring for Spain in the 21st minute with Nuno Mendis equalizing five minutes later in the 26th minute.
Spain regained the lead 2-1 in the 45th minute when Mikel Oyarzabal scored, the captain of Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo scored an equaliser in the second half, ensuring that the final didn’t end in regulation time. However, the match moved into the penalty shootout after extra time, Portugal reigned victorious by 5-3 margin.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads charts as top-scorer of all-time in international football
The 40-year-old, who is the oldest to win the Nations League final twice, with his 61st minute goal also continues to lead the charts of international top-scorer of all time with 138 goals in 221 appearances for Portugal. Moreover, it was CR7’s eighth goal in nine Nations League matches in this campaign.
“A great joy. Firstly, for this generation, who deserved a title. For the families, my family was here... Winning for Portugal is very special. I have many titles, but nothing compares to winning for Portugal,” Ronaldo said after his side’s convincing victory. It is to be noted that with this win, Portugal lifted their second Nations League trophy, having previously won in 2019.
