Cristiano Ronaldo in action. picture alliance

Cristiano Ronaldo ends woes vs. Germany in UEFA Nations League

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 9:06 PM ET

One country has consistently thwarted Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo throughout his illustrious career: Germany.

Entering Wednesday's UEFA Nations League semifinal match in Munich, the 40-year-old superstar had never beaten Germany, losing to them five times. Now, he's no longer winless against the longtime rival.

With the game tied 1-1 in the 68th minute, Portugal defender Nuno Mendes was attacking on the left side of the box. He then passed to Ronaldo, who drilled a right-footed shot from the center of the box.

RONALDO FOR THE LEAD!!!!!!

PORTUGAL ON TOP!!!! pic.twitter.com/G6XFEhV2Xv
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 4, 2025

Portugal would hold onto the 2-1 lead to beat Germany for the first time since UEFA Euro 2000.

According to Emlyn Begley of BBC Sport, it was just Ronaldo's second goal against Germany in 540 minutes. At least, he delivered when it counted and extended his goal-scoring record in international play.

After the win against Germany, Ronaldo has 137 goals in 220 caps, the most in international play by a considerable margin. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is second, with 112 goals in 191 caps.

Despite his accomplishments, it doesn't appear Ronaldo has lost his competitive fire.

"It's difficult to put into words. He takes each day as an opportunity to improve," Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said, via Begley. "As a human, when you succeed, you wake up and have less hunger. But not Cristiano."

That bodes well for Portugal, which is aiming to win its second UEFA Nations League title. It will face France or Spain in the final on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Either team presents a challenging matchup. According to FIFA, Spain is the world's No. 2, while France is the No. 3.

After earning his first win against Germany, however, Ronaldo probably feels he can beat anyone.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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