Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal as Portugal came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1 in a gripping UEFA Nations League semi-final in Munich on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. The victory sends Portugal to the final, where they will face either France or Spain.
After a tense and goalless first half, Germany took the lead three minutes after the restart. Joshua Kimmich, making his 100th appearance for Germany, lofted a pass over the defence for Bayer Leverkusen forward Florian Wirtz to head past goalkeeper Diogo Costa. The goal was controversial, with Portugal protesting that German debutant Nick Woltemade had blocked defender Ruben Dias, but the goal stood after a VAR review.
Portugal’s fortunes turned with the introduction of substitute Francisco Conceicao. Five minutes after coming on, Conceicao collected the ball on the right wing in the 63rd minute, drove at the German defence, and curled an excellent finish past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to level the score.
The comeback was completed just five minutes later. A low pass from Nuno Mendes found the 40-year-old Ronaldo unmarked in the box, and he made no mistake, tapping in his 137th international goal to give Portugal the lead.
Germany pushed for an equaliser late in the game, with Karim Adeyemi coming closest when his strike hit the post. Portugal also had chances to extend their lead, but Ter Stegen produced a fine double save to deny Diogo Jota and a follow-up effort from the lively Conceicao.
The victory marks Portugal’s first competitive win over Germany since the 2000 European Championship, a match in which Francisco Conceicao’s father, Sergio, famously scored a hat-trick.
The semi-final, which was delayed by 10 minutes due to a hailstorm at the Allianz Arena, sets up a final for Portugal in Munich on Sunday, June 8. They will discover their opponents after France and Spain play their semi-final in Stuttgart on Thursday. Portugal won the inaugural Nations League tournament in 2019.
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