Legendary Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears after Portugal defeated favourites Spain in the final of the Nations League. Portugal clinched their second Nations League title in a tense final at the Allianz Arena on Sunday, June 8, beating the Euro champions on penalties. After being held to a 2-2 draw at extra time, Portugal converted all 5 of their spot kicks to beat Spain 5-3 in the penalty shootout.
Ronaldo, who had scored to send the match into extra time, broke into tears after his team won the tournament, besting heavyweights Spain, who were billed to be the winners ahead of the summit clash. Ronaldo’s goal in the final was the 138th of his international career. With the goal, he pulled himself further away from the competition as the highest scorer in international football, well ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Sunil Chhetri.
Ronaldo’s goal came after Mikel Oyarzabal had given Spain a 2-1 halftime lead. Oyarzabal squeezed the ball past Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 45th after Pedri played him in. Martin Zubimendi had broken the deadlock in the 21st with a tap-in when Portugal’s defense failed to deal with Lamine Yamal’s cross. Then Nuno Mendes levelled five minutes later when he drilled a low shot inside the far post.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo went off to a standing ovation and a hug from coach Roberto Martnez in the 88th.
After the match remained undecided in extra time, both teams went into penalties. Spain’s Alvaro Morata, who played with Ronaldo during their time in Real Madrid was the only one to miss in the shootout, meaning that Portugal were crowned champions on Sunday.
