Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal into UEFA Nations League final

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal fought back to beat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday and reach the UEFA Nations League final.

Ronaldo’s 68th-minute tap in, a record-extending 137th international goal, sealed a first win over Germany after five losses, his longest streak against any national side without tasting victory.

After a stuttering first half, Florian Wirtz produced a moment of magic to give Germany the lead three minutes after halftime, starting and finishing a clever burst through the middle and heading in the opener.

Portugal’s Francisco Conceicao ran 35 meters to score a brilliant solo goal, leveling things with half an hour remaining.

The stage was then set for Ronaldo, who had missed two solid chances earlier, to land the telling blow, turning in a Nuno Mendes pass from close range.

Portugal, winners of the inaugural Nations League in 2019, will now face either European champions Spain or France in Sunday’s final at the same venue.

“I’m very happy. This was an important game against a top-quality Germany side, and we played away from home. To beat Germany for the first time in 25 years means a lot. Turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win shows what this team is capable of,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez.

“It was certainly one of our weakest performances in recent times. We didn’t always attack with enough conviction. We started well and took a deserved lead but then did far too little. Against a team like Portugal, if you’re too slow in transition, you get punished. We need to be at 100% if we want to belong to the best in Europe. This defeat hurts, but we must learn from it,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said.