It was a memorable night for Cristiano Ronaldo, as Portugal beat their neighbours and oldest rivals, Spain, on penalties to clinch the UEFA Nations League title. The forty-year-old veteran was in tears as he won his third trophy with Portugal. In his own words, “It's duty done and a lot of joy.”
It was termed a ‘Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lamine Yamal’ game — the night where one football superstar would pass on the baton to the next. But the duo could only watch from the sidelines during the match’s decisive moment — the spot kicks.
The Portugal captain scored a goal in the 61st minute, making it a 2-2 tie. It was his 138th international goal, extending his own record for the most goals scored in men’s international football. However, the star player had to withdraw from the match in the 88th minute due to a muscle strain on the pitch. Yamal himself was substituted in the 100th minute, with no goal contributions of his own.
Even Ronaldo acknowledged that the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the best national team in the world.” As for the interest in the face-off between him and Yamal, he said, “When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that’s not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it’s one team versus another team.” Which was exactly what the night proved to be.
The outstanding player proved to be Nuno Mendes, with the left-back winning his direct battle with Yamal. He also scored the first goal for Portugal, beating Yamal easily before crossing for Ronaldo to score the second goal, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Players such as Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha also had their moments to shine on the pitch.
Spain too had its moments. Martín Zubimendi was just as impressive in a holding midfield position as he was when he broke forward. Pedri, the Barcelona midfielder, was magnificent at times alongside Zubimendi, and his run deep into Portugal's territory preceded the pass from which Mikel Oyarzabal produced a graceful finish to make it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time.
Other standout performers included defenders Dean Huijsen and Robin Le Normand of Spain, and Rúben Dias of Portugal. The goalkeepers — Spain's Unai Simón and Portugal's Diogo Costa — also showed themselves to be of the quality worthy of winning a World Cup.
Diogo Costa's save from Álvaro Morata's spot kick in the penalty shootout enabled Rúben Neves to score the decisive penalty for a 5-3 Portugal win.
Both Spain and Portugal have already won the Nations League. For Portugal, this is their second UEFA Nations League title. Ronaldo won the first UEFA Nations League final in 2019 over the Netherlands, 1-0, on a goal from Gonçalo Guedes. For Spain, it marks the first time they have failed to lift a trophy since the 2022 World Cup, having won the Nations League in 2023 and Euro 2024, according to the BBC.
Though the star players of both teams had to take to the sidelines during the final moments that decided the turning point of the game, heavy expectations still rest on the two players — Ronaldo for what he has done, and Yamal for what he promises to be.