Portugal won the Nations League – Spain lost on penalties

Álvaro Morata was the only one to miss the penalty shootout.

The winner of the Nations League was ultimately decided on penalties.

The neighbours Spain and Portugal, who played in the final, could not make a difference, and referee Sandro Schärer whistled the teams to the centre circle after 120 minutes.

Schärer himself went into the box to supervise the penalty shootout, where players from both teams walked one by one.

Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente had only brought on penalty specialist Álvaro Morata in extra time, just in time for the penalty shootout.

This time it was a mistake, as Morata became the only loser in a very tough penalty shootout.

Portugal’s Rúben Neves had the honour of scoring the decisive goal. Neves, who plays professionally in Saudi Arabia, powerfully fired the ball into the bottom left corner, setting off wild celebrations in Lusitanian football.

The Munich final got off to a fast start. Basque duo Martín Zubimendi–Mikel Oyarzabal scored the opening goal for Spain in the 22nd minute.

Real Sociedad players were responsible for moving the ball into the attacking zone. Zubimendi also lent the ball to Lamine Yamali, whose cross caused panic in the red shirts’ box.

After a little ball flip, Zubimendi was able to place the ball into an empty goal.

Nuno Mendes, who had just won the Champions League, was by far the best player in the final. The Portuguese was given far too much space because Lamine Yamal did not want to defend against the PSG star.

That opened up a path of glory for Mendes in the Spanish penalty area. He ruthlessly took advantage of it by bombing the game to level the score.

Oyarzabal took La Roja to a 2–1 lead at half-time. The striker brilliantly converted a through ball from Pedri with a slight hook into a shot that flew into the back corner.

Judging by the opening period, Spain was clearly the stronger team on the field. But the further the match progressed, the more clearly the balance of power turned on its head.

Therefore, it cannot be considered unfair that Portugal equalized. Nuno Mendes was once again at the center of events. His cross rose above the Spanish players, and 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his telescopic leg behind Marc Cucurella, directing the ball into the goal.

2–2 was also the official result of the final.

The stars betrayed

The final was hyped as a duel between Ronaldo and 17-year-old Lamine Yamali. That match ended in a draw because neither player played well at all.

Ronaldo scored and Lamine Yamal was setting up Spain’s opening goal. Both were already on the bench when the final decisions were made.

Fans expected much more from both.

The winner of the Nations League was first sought in 30 minutes of extra time, and then the tired players were sent to a penalty shootout.