Ronaldo helps Portugal defeat Germany, reach Nations League final

TPO - Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal to help Portugal come from behind to defeat Germany 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League semi-final early this morning.

Ronaldo scored the final goal to make it 2-1 for Portugal.

At 40, Ronaldo became the oldest player to score against Germany and ended a five-match losing streak against the Germans. His 137th international goal helped Portugal secure their first win over Germany since 2000.

Germany controlled the game in the first half, but could not overcome the brilliance of goalkeeper Diogo Costa. He repeatedly blocked dangerous shots from Leon Goretzka and Nick Woltemade to keep a clean sheet for Portugal.

After the break, Germany took the lead in the 48th minute thanks to Florian Wirtz's close-range header, which came from a delicate assist from Joshua Kimmich.

However, Portugal fought back strongly and made a spectacular comeback. In the 63rd minute, substitute Francisco Conceicao - son of the legendary Sergio Conceicao - fired a beautiful long-range shot to equalize 1-1.

Five minutes later, Nuno Mendes rose up and made a good pass for Ronaldo, the team's captain and icon, to score the goal that made it 2-1.

Francisco Conceicao, son of legend Sergio Conceicao, shone from the bench.

This was an emotional match for Conceicao, who followed in the footsteps of his father - Sergio Conceicao - who scored a hat-trick against Germany at EURO 2000, the last time Portugal defeated the white team.

"We need to enjoy this victory, it's been a long time since Portugal beat Germany," said coach Roberto Martinez. "The whole team showed great character, tactics and spirit. This is a collective victory."

In the remaining time, Germany tried to respond but were unable to find an equalizer. Karim Adeyemi almost scored with a powerful shot that hit the post, while Kimmich, in his 100th match for Germany, admitted: "There is no excuse for this defeat. We did not play well enough."

With this victory, Portugal – who won the Nations League for the first time in 2019 – booked their place in the final, where they will face the winner of the semi-final between Spain and France.

Trong Dat

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ronaldo-giup-bo-dao-nha-ha-duc-vao-chung-ket-nations-league-post1748470.tpo