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Portugal Breaks 25-Year Curse Against Germany

At long last—and after 25 years without a single victory against them—Portugal defeated Germany 2–1 in Munich to reach the UEFA Nations League final for the second time in their history, out of four total appearances in the tournament.

Portugal, champions of the inaugural edition in 2019, found themselves trailing to a Florian Wirtz goal in the 48th minute. But they hit back through substitute Francisco Conceição (63′) before Cristiano Ronaldo added the winner just five minutes later (68′), sending his team into Sunday’s final—also in Munich—where they will face the winner of Thursday’s clash in Stuttgart between 2021 champions France and 2023 holders Spain.

The victory marks Portugal’s first over Germany since 2000, their first on German soil since 1985 (a 1–0 World Cup qualifying win), and Ronaldo’s first personal win over the Germans after suffering five defeats in past encounters.

Portugal will now aim to claim their second Nations League title, having previously done so at home in 2019 with a 1–0 win over the Netherlands in the final.

Key Moments from the Match

Portugal started with confidence, buoyed by four players fresh off winning the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain just days prior. Still, it was the hosts who struck first—converting their first real opportunity early in the second half. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring with a close-range header after a pinpoint cross from Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who was making his 100th appearance for Die Mannschaft (48′).

Kimmich became the 14th player in Germany’s history to reach the 100-cap milestone—though notably, the only one among them not to have won a World Cup.

Portugal’s Spanish manager Roberto Martínez then made a triple substitution in the 58th minute, bringing on Francisco Conceição, Vitinha, and Nélson Semedo for Rúben Neves, Trincão, and João Neves. The change paid off quickly: five minutes later, Conceição pulled off a solo masterpiece, cutting in from the right and curling a stunning shot from outside the box into the far top corner past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen (63′).

In a touch of symmetry, the last time Portugal beat Germany was in Euro 2000—when Francisco’s father, Sérgio Conceição, scored a hat-trick.

Just five minutes after equalizing, Portugal took the lead. A neat exchange between Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes allowed the left- to dart into the box and deliver a pinpoint cross to an unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo, who tapped the ball into an empty net (68′).

The goal was Ronaldo’s 937th career goal across club and international football, and his 137th international strike—further cementing his status as the all-time leading international scorer. He also became the first European player to score two international goals after turning 40.

Midfielder Bernardo Silva praised Ronaldo’s undying hunger: “I don’t know how old he is anymore—maybe around 40. It’s unbelievable how he stays this hungry every single day,” he said. “We’re very lucky to have him.”

Germany nearly equalized late on when substitute Karim Adeyemi hit the post with a powerful strike (83′).

After the match, German coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted: “This was a deserved loss. We wasted the match in the first half. We lacked the defensive intensity we’ve shown in recent games.”

Portugal will now wait to discover their opponent in Sunday’s final, with the hope of once again lifting the Nations League trophy.