Portugal beats Spain to win the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League Title
Sport
4 min read
Portugal won their second UEFA Nations League title, defeating Spain at the iconic Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, after a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo set a new world record by becoming the oldest player in the history of men’s football to score a goal in an international football match.
2nd UEFA Nations League Title for Portugal
The 2018-19 UEFA Nations League champion Portugal took on the 2022-23 champion Spain in the final of the 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Nations League.
Portugal progressed to the final after defeating the host country, Germany, 2-1, with Ronaldo scoring the winning goal.
The current Euro champion, Spain, defeated France 5-1 in the other semi-final.
In the final, Spain twice took the lead through Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal, only for Nuno Mendes and Ronaldo of Portugal to equalise and force extra time.
In extra time, both teams failed to break the tie and decide the winner, so the game went into a penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Portugal emerged as the winner 5-3 and won their second UEFA Nations League title.
Record of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal emerged as the highest goal scorer in the tournament, scoring eight goals.
- At the age of 40 years 123 days, Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest male player in the world to score a goal in an international football match.
- He broke the record for Pierre Kalala Mukendi of Congo, who scored a goal against Ghana at the age of 37.
- Under Ronaldo's captaincy, Portugal has won two UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
- With 138 goals in 221 matches, Ronaldo has scored the most goals in international football in the men’s game.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has also won the prestigious Ballon d'Or award five times.
About UEFA Nations League
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) started the UEFA Nations League in the 2018-19 season.
Germany hosted the 4th edition of the UEFA Nations League finals.
Winners of the UEFA Nations League
- 2018/19- Portugal
- 2020-21- France
- 2022/23 - Spain
- 2024/25- Portugal
Also Read: French club PSG beat Inter Milan to win the 2025 UEFA Champions League
