- The 2025 UEFA Nations League final went down on Sunday night with Portugal beating Spain on penalties to win the title in Munich
- Portugal’s victory was a big moment for Cristiano Ronaldo who was full of emotions at full-time before wiping his tears and joining his teammates for celebrations
The 2025 UEFA Nations League final went down on Sunday night with Portugal beating Spain on penalties to win the title in Munich. Both Portugal and Spain have clinched the Nations League before but it was Cristiano Ronaldo‘s side that ended up making history by winning the competition for a second time.
Winners of the 2023 edition Spain opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Martin Zubimendi. However, Portugal found their way back into the match five minutes later through left-back Nuno Mendes who had a stellar 2024-25 season at club level winning the quadruple with Paris Saint-Germain.
Portugal won the UEFA Nations League on Sunday to become the first side to clinch the title more than once. They had emerged victorious in the summer of 2019 after beating Netherlands 1-0 in the final. Photo/ ESPN.
Mike Oyarzabal, who scored the winner for Spain in last year’s Euro final against England, put his side back in front shortly before half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved to be a man of the big moments when he beat Marc Cucurella to score the leveller for Portugal in the 66th minute.
Both sides couldn’t find the back of the net afterwards and the game had to be decided through penalty shootouts. Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes and Ruben Neves all converted their penalties while a miss by Alvaro Morata turned out costly for Spain despite Mikel Merino, Alex Baena and Isco earlier finding the back of the net.
Nuno Mendes was named as the Player of the Match in the final for his amazing defence that stopped Lamine Yamal from shining and contribution on offence. The 22-year-old did not only score Portugal’s first goal but also assisted the second which was tapped in by Ronaldo.
With the triumph, Portugal became the second nation to win the UEFA Nations League title more than once. Portugal’s victory was a big moment for Ronaldo who was full of emotions before wiping his tears and celebrating joyfully with his teammates.
The stakes were high at Allianz Arena as 60,000 fans showed up with the final being hyped as the first meeting between an experienced Ronaldo who has won five Ballon d’Or awards and Lamine Yamal who is considered by many as the best footballer in the world at the moment.
Despite playing a massive role in Spain’s run to the final, Yamal had little impact on the final and was substituted in extra time. The youngster shared a warm embrace with Ronaldo after the end of the match in what symbolized a passing of the torch from the old to the new.
The UEFA Nations League final was billed as a night for Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lamine Yamal. The two players embraces after the end of the game. Photo/ El Futbolero US.
Fan Dies On The Stands During The UEFA Nations League Final
There was a sad moment towards the end of extra time during the Nations League final as one fan died on the stands. The supporter fell from the second tier of the main stand onto the media area as tension rose among fans.
Paramedics responded immediately to the incident and tried treating the man as the match continued. However, the fan didn’t make it and UEFA later confirmed that he had passed away. As of the time of writing, the exact cause of the fall remains unknown.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez addressed the incident after the match describing it as extremely sad news. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente also sent out his condolences. UEFA said on a statement that “our thoughts are with their loved ones at this difficult time.”
