Cristiano Ronaldo Nets Winner and Breaks Record as Portugal Reach Nations League Final
- Cristiano Ronaldo added to his goal tally by scoring for Portugal against Germany in the UEFA Nations League semi-final
- The legendary striker has reached 937 senior career goals, with 137 of those coming for his country
- His strike put Portugal ahead on the night, marking their second goal and turning the tide as his team advanced to the final
Cristiano Ronaldo made history by guiding Portugal to a comeback victory over Germany on June 4 to secure a place in the Nations League final.
At the Allianz Arena, Florian Wirtz put the hosts ahead just three minutes after the half-time break by converting Joshua Kimmich's slick pass.
Source: Getty Images
Ronaldo leads Portugal's Nations League comeback
With the visitors trailing in the second half, a bold triple substitution by manager Roberto Martinez shifted the momentum in Portugal’s favour, as reported by the BBC.
One of the substitutes, Francisco Conceição, made an immediate impact, surging forward and bending it beyond Marc-André ter Stegen into the bottom corner to level the score.
Just five minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo scored what turned out to be the match-winner. Nuno Mendes sliced through the German defence before squaring the ball to his captain, who tapped into an open net.
Ronaldo sets new Nations League A scoring record
The goal also saw Ronaldo set a record for the most goals in a single Nations League A campaign, bringing his tally to seven, per Mirror Football.
With his goal against Germany, he passed joint-record holders Romelu Lukaku and Ferran Torres, who each scored six times in the 2021/22 edition.
However, CR7 is still three behind Sweden's Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 10 goals to help his country advance from Nations League C this year.
Ronaldo, who won the Euro 2016 title, has now scored 937 career goals. He was substituted late in the match by Martinez, with Germany out of time.
It was also CR7's first win with Portugal against the Germans, after five losses. Die Mannschaft are now relegated to the third-place play-off on June 8.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Portugal's Nations League final opponent?
With the victory over Germany in the bag, Portugal secured a second appearance in a Nations League final.
They won the inaugural tournament in 2019 after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final, but could not defend their title.
Meanwhile, current title-holders Spain will face 2020/21 champions France in the other semi-final tonight (June 5) in Stuttgart.
What is the Nations League about?
The Nations League was established in 2019 as an international competition. It takes place in the years when the quadrennial European Championship doesn't occur.
As reported by the Olympics, it takes place every two years.
The competition replaces the international friendly matches previously played on the FIFA International Match Calendar.
European national teams will now engage in more frequent competitive matches against other European national teams of comparable level.
Ronaldo drops cryptic message about club future
YEN.com.gh also reported on growing speculation about Ronaldo's domestic future after dropping a curious message online.
The Portuguese legend will reportedly become a free agent on June 30 if his current contract with Al-Nassr is not renewed.
Despite nearing the twilight of his career, Ronaldo has continued his impressive scoring form for both his club and his country.
Source: YEN.com.gh
