Cristiano Ronaldo Stars Yet Again in Portugal’s 2-1 Victory Over Germany

Portugal beat Germany 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League semifinal at Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday, June 4.

The hosts took the lead through Florian Wirtz in the 48th minute, but Francisco Conceicao and Cristiano Ronaldo scored in quick succession to seal the victory for Portugal.

Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany faced yet another disappointment after having suffered a 2-1 defeat in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 at the hands of Spain.

Roberto Martinez’s Portugal, meanwhile, stayed on course for their first UEFA title since their triumph in Euro 2016.

Cristiano Ronaldo With the Winner

Portugal’s winning goal was Ronaldo’s 137th international goal. The 40-year-old centre-forward tapped in from Nuno Mendes’ pass from the left.

There was a little doubt about Ronaldo being in an offside position, but he got the benefit of the doubt.

Germany had more ball possession in the match with 55%. Still, Portugal managed to have 17 shots, which was testimony to the fact that they tried to score goals more frequently.

Germany started with a 3-5-2 formation, with Leroy Sane and debutant Nick Woltemade as the two forwards.

Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Wirtz played as the three midfielders. However, Woltemade failed to exert his presence inside the penalty box.

Germany attacked a lot through their wing-backs Maximilian Mittelstadt and Joshua Kimmich.

However, the area left behind by Kimmich was often exploited by Nuno Mendes, the Portuguese left-back.

It was through the left flank only that Mendes advanced before delivering that crucial pass to Ronaldo to ensure Portugal’s win.

Portugal crowded their own penalty box often enough in the first half. Germany tried to counter that by having more men inside the box.

Wirtz scored his goal with a header from a chipped-through ball into the box. However, Portugal increased the intensity of their attacks after having conceded the goal and reaped the rewards for the same pretty soon.

Portugal’s Tactical Tweaks

With quality players like Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva in their midfield, the Portuguese slowly gained ascendancy in the match and Conceicao, introduced as a substitute in the second half, scored with a wonderful shot from outside the box.

The introduction of Conceicao and Vitinha changed the match in Portugal’s favour.

Robin Gosens, Niclas Fullkrug and Serge Gnabry came in in the second half in place of Mittelstadt, Woltemade and Sane, respectively, but it did not alter the score-line.

It was thus a memorable win for the visitors, who are now a win away from securing a European trophy.

Ronaldo, who has been in the twilight of his career for a few years now, should thus get yet another motivation to extend his international career until the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

The Portuguese superstar will be 41 during next year’s tournament, but given his fitness and hunger for goals, he could still prove to be a useful player for his country.

With Portugal not having a particularly young and clinical striker in their ranks, Ronaldo’s utility for them remains unchanged.

Will he be able to sign off on a high for the national team, which he has been a part of for the last two decades?