Portugal’s Nations League Triumph Steals Spotlight from Ronaldo–Yamal Showdown
Germany’s Munich — When the pivotal time arrived in Portugal’s victory over Spain in the UEFA Nations League final, both players were unable to watch from the sidelines as others took centre stage. The match was advertised as Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lamine Yamal, a night when the torch would transfer from one football hero to the next.
After the Iberian neighbours battled out a fine 2-2 draw in Munich, Rúben Neves scored the game-winning penalty to give Portugal a 5-3 victory. Diogo Costa had saved Alvaro Morata’s spot attempt in the penalty shootout.
After winning his third international trophy—a second Nations League and the Euro 2016 title—Roseno, who was forced off the pitch in the 88th minute owing to a strained muscle, ran onto the pitch to celebrate before breaking down in tears. After the experienced forward failed from the penalty spot, Yamal was left to walk onto the pitch in his bulky substitutes’ coat, comforting his teammates, particularly Morata.
The 17-year-old forward from Spain was scarcely devastated. The Nations League falls somewhere in the middle of major and minor trophies, but you can be sure that the Barcelona star won’t have any sleepless nights when he looks back on what looks to be an incredible career because he already won Euro 2024 last summer.
With numerous titles, Champions Leagues, and Ballons d’Or, Yamal may wind up with a trophy cabinet as full as Ronaldo’s. It’s also a safe bet that he may even win the FIFA World Cup the following year. However, this was not his night.
Ronaldo, 40, could at least claim to have scored another goal, but it wasn’t his either. He scored a volley off a deflected, looping cross in the second half to make it 2-2 on the evening. It was his 138th goal for his country, far more than the 109 of legendary Iran striker Ali Daei, who was the only other player in the men’s game to score 100 goals.
Although Ronaldo and Yamal took centre stage before the game, both clubs have much more to offer than their great forwards, and today was a night when they demonstrated it.
The best player on display was Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain left defender who defeated Yamal in a straight-up match. Mendes, who opened the scoring for Portugal, easily defeated Yamal before setting up Ronaldo for a second-half goal. A week after winning the Champions League, he resisted pressure to score a spectacular penalty in the shootout, earning the Nations League title.
Vitinha was brilliant on the Allianz Arena pitch, as he was in PSG’s 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan eight days prior, while Bruno Fernandes also had a significant influence for Portugal.
Beyond Yamal, who was quiet except from sending the cross that resulted in Martín Zubimendi scoring the game’s first goal after 21 minutes, Spain also displayed depth and elite talent. Zubimendi was just as good in a holding midfield position as he was when he broke forward. He is anticipated to finalise a £51 million move from Real Sociedad to Arsenal this week. The man we witnessed in this match may be the last piece of Mikel Arteta’s puzzle at the Emirates if Arsenal signs him.
Alongside Zubimendi, Barcelona midfielder Pedri was at times outstanding. He ran deep into Portugal territory before Mikel Oyarzabal’s pass, which resulted in a sophisticated finish to make it 2-1 just before halftime.
One player who frequently goes unnoticed is Oyarzabal. Although he has remained faithful to his Basque heritage by playing his entire professional career with Real Sociedad at the age of 28, his skill is deserving of a far larger club stage than La Real has given him. Oyarzabal, who has already scored in three major championships for Spain, is a strong, astute, and clinical finisher who will be an important part of their team at the World Cup the following year.
On both teams, there were additional outstanding players. Rúben Dias returned to his elite form for Portugal, while defenders Dean Huijsen and Robin Le Normand were outstanding for Spain. Both goalkeepers, Costa of Portugal and Unai Simón of Spain, proved to be of the calibre needed to win a World Cup.
However, despite their undeniable quality, either of these teams may need a little bit of brilliance to make the difference if they want to compete in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year. This is similar to how Argentina needed Lionel Messi to help them win in Qatar in 2022.
Ronaldo, who will be 41 when he competes in the World Cup, has demonstrated that he can still win against the best teams in the world after scoring goals this week against Germany and Spain. In contrast, Yamal is already a wonderkid and will only get better by the time the World Cup arrives.
Both players—Yamil for what he promises to be and Ronaldo for what he has done—must live up to unrealistic expectations, but they won’t have to do it alone. Both Portugal and Spain have the depth to back their top players all the way to World Cup triumph, as demonstrated on Sunday night.
