When the time came, Cristiano Ronaldo hid his face and looked into his teammates. He marked the objective that put the level of Portugal in this final but had been withdrawn, exhausted, late in the normal period and now, while men left on the ground aligned on the line halfway, he stood on the touch line where he could not look but could hear the roaring when he slipped on his knees and the tears marked the penalty. It had taken a shooting but they have their second Nations leagueBeating Spain in Munich.
The goals of Martín ZubiMendi, of Nuno Mendes, then of Mikel Oyarzabal, had given Spain an advance of 2-1 before Ronaldo was 2-2 per hour. Now, an hour after that, everything was summed up with two shots: Álvaro Morata missed the fourth kick from Spain and Neves marked the fifth in Portugal to win 5-3 on penalties, allowing Ronaldo to collect the 34th trophy of his career, at the age of 40. There was a smile, a joke on his weight, then he wore him for his teammates and raised him in the sky.
It had been a long night, and if it was a battle of the generations between him and Lamine Yamal, as she had been billed, the eldest man won her. In truth, however, while the emphasis was put on the captain of Portugal and the Spanish adolescent, 23 years of his junior, the cameras following them even when the two had been withdrawn and were seated on the bench, they were many other players. About Oyarzabal and Zubimendi, Mendes, Rafael Leão and, finally, Diogo Costa, who plunged to his right to save Morata. Neves then broke strong and low, turning to see red shirts run towards him.
When it all ended, Luis de la Fuente gathered his players. Winners of the League of Nations two years agoEuropean champions last summer, they had not been able to make three trophies in a row, but he was proud. Spain had also started too: in fact, the Portugal twice had pulled a level, it had been difficult to grasp, although it was also true that Spain has badly faded and that the Roberto Martínez team had been closer to avoiding the shooting.
It did not have long before Lamine Yamal was removed by the type of tackle which said something about his threat, although with the teenager attracting them to the right, the real danger was on the left. There, a superb long diagonal of Dean Huijsen allowed Nico Williams to control brilliantly, to rush into the area and to back down for Pedri at Foundfoot just wide. From there too, Williams cut inside and whipped fractionally beyond the distant post.
And yet it is in the middle that Spain marked the first when the charming Oyarzabal touch sent Zubimenddi to go through. He found the lamine whose scouring return was not treated by Rúben Dias, Neves or Costa and Zubimenddi put in the loose ball at close range. Portugal responded quickly, Mendes passing in front of the opponents to hit a hard and clean low blow in the area. But Spain has reaffirmed itself and Oyarzabal gave them their head again on 45, Pedri slipping the pass so that it turns into a net.
It was the 16th goal that Aunzabal scored for Spain, his third in the final. His fourth if you include the 2020 Olympic Games. He was the winner against England last summer, but he lost the other three: the 2021 Nations League final against France, against Brazil in Tokyo 2020, and now here. Because then he appeared, what he tends to do; What he has done, so many times.
The hosts pushed several chances of taking the lead, especially when Florian Wirtz saw his efforts return as part of the goal, before Mbappé strikes half-time to advance France.
Mbappé is only a goal from Thierry Henry as the second scorer of all time in France, with Olivier Giroud in front of 57. Real Madrid striker, 26, went up the replacement Michael Olise late to ensure the victory of the visitors.
Mike Maignan was just as important for France, which lost a thriller in the semi-finals of nine goals in Spain on Thursday, in this third place in the playoffs while the goalkeeper made important stops throughout. PA Sport
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The triumph of France in Germany while Mbappé reaches the goal of the goal
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Kylian Mbappé scored his 50th goal for France to help them win third place in the League of Nations with a 2-0 victory against Germany in Stuttgart.
The hosts pushed several chances of taking the lead, especially when Florian Wirtz saw his efforts return as part of the goal, before Mbappé strikes half-time to advance France.
Mbappé is only a goal from Thierry Henry as the second scorer of all time in France, with Olivier Giroud in front of 57. Real Madrid striker, 26, went up the replacement Michael Olise late to ensure the victory of the visitors.
Mike Maignan was just as important for France, which lost a thriller in the semi-finals of nine goals in Spain on Thursday, in this third place in the playoffs while the goalkeeper made important stops throughout. PA Sport
It may seem that Ronaldo is not there sometimes, but he is still. When Mendes escaped the Lamine Yamal and his cross took a deviation, by closing and falling behind Marc Cucurella, he was again on a flying range. It was his 134th international goal and he left, pointing his chest. Spain could barely believe it. They did not dominate as they had done before, not creating either, but they did not feel threatened. Now, however, with Fabián Ruiz and Pedri left, control has moved away, even if Williams then sent a whistling shot.
The side of Martínez, meanwhile, intensified. The introduction of Leão changed the game. Unai Simón had to save the free kick from Bruno Fernandes on the right on 90 minutes and the additional time brought a different flow, another Portugal. They should have taken the lead immediately when Mendes, the biggest threat to Leão, set up Nélson Semedo for a surprisingly five -meter failure. And with 20 seconds, Diogo Jota headed, their moment was waiting for them at the penalty point.
