Portugal were crowned UEFA Nations League champions for a second time after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Spain, followed by a 5-3 penalty shootout win in the final at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.
Spain, the defending champions, dominated early on with fluid passing and pulled Portugal apart with their technical brilliance. Their dominance paid off in the 21st minute when a misjudged clearance by Joao Neves fell kindly to Martin Zubimendi, who fired home with ease to give Spain a deserved lead.
But Portugal responded quickly. Just five minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo held the ball up expertly before laying it off to Pedro Neto, who found Nuno Mendes on the edge of the area. The PSG left-back powered a low strike into the bottom corner to level the scores.
Spain struck again just before halftime. Mikel Oyarzabal ghosted past Goncalo Inacio to latch onto Pedri’s slick through-ball and finished with precision to restore La Roja’s lead going into the break.
Portugal hit back once more in the 59th minute. Mendes turned provider this time, breezing past Lamine Yamal, and his deflected cross floated into the path of Ronaldo. The Portuguese captain held off Marc Cucurella and calmly slotted into the net, making it 2-2.
The second half remained open, with both sides pushing for a winner. Diogo Costa and Unai Simon made key saves, and extra time loomed.
Pedro Porro nearly caught Costa out with a long-range strike, and Diogo Jota missed a header before the match headed to penalties.
In the shootout, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, and Nuno Mendes scored confidently for Portugal. Costa then produced the decisive moment, saving Alvaro Morata’s penalty. Ruben Neves sealed the win with a thunderous strike into the bottom-left corner to crown Portugal as 2025 Nations League champions.
