Despite turning 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is still expected by fans at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Although it is unlikely to be as shocking as the Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan a few days earlier, also in Munich, the confrontation between two European footballing powers will certainly be worth watching.
After an early exit in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals at home, Germany are unbeaten in the Nations League with 5 wins and 3 draws, winning the right to enter the semi-finals of the tournament. The Germans do not hide their dream of winning the Nations League for the first time at home, but the journey to the ultimate glory of the German "tank" is afraid that it will not be simple.
Ronaldo (right) competes with the young stars of host Germany in the Nations League semi-finals. (Photo: UEFA)
Up to now, the list of "injured soldiers" in the hands of coach Julian Nagelsmann continues to grow, after Antonio Rudiger, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Nico Schlotterbeck, now it is the turn of Tim Kleindienst, who scored in both quarter-final matches against Italy. The timely return of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen in goal, along with the expected performance of young stars Florian Wirtz, Karim Adeyemi in attack will certainly receive the cheers of a large home audience.
Portugal will also introduce a squad of key players who are in extremely good form. Coach Roberto Martinez's team lost a match (0-1) to Denmark in the first leg of the quarter-finals but "crushed" their opponents in a 5-2 rematch. The Spanish coach currently has the trio of Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes - Champions League champions with PSG - along with pillars of top European teams such as Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias (Man City), Bruno Fernandes (Man United), Palhinha (Bayern Munich) ...
It is impossible not to mention Ronaldo, the striker who scored 6 goals in 5/8 matches from the group stage to the quarter-finals of Portugal. The 40-year-old star is still diligently shining at Al-Nassr when scoring 25 goals in the 2024-2025 season, winning the title of Saudi Pro-League Top Scorer. Ronaldo is very close to the milestone of 1,000 goals in his career (currently has 936 goals for both club and national team) and the Nations League is one of the opportunities for him to increase his achievements.
Portugal is rated higher in terms of strength but Germany has home advantage and cohesion in playing style. History is also on the side of the "tank" Germany when they won the last 5 times when facing Portugal since 2006.
Portugal's limitation lies in Ronaldo, because this superstar finds it difficult to maintain his fitness throughout the match while backup options such as Goncalo Ramos, Diogo Jota or Joao Félix have not yet created high reliability.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/duc-bo-dao-nha-ronaldo-se-toa-sang-196250603202559692.htm
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