Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears of joy as Portugal defeated Spain 2–2 in the Nations League final on Sunday.
The game finished level but Portugal remained composed during the win-or-go-home penalty shootout and netted all five of their attempts to claim the trophy.
Ronaldo had scored in the match and was spotted in tears as the team celebrated their hard-won victory.
Portugal twice fell behind in regular time but twice rallied to equalize the scores.
Martín Zubimendi capitalized on some sluggish Portuguese defense to give Spain the lead after 21 minutes.
The brilliant Nuno Mendes equalized five minutes later.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain’s scorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, restored La Roja’s advantage just before halftime.
Cristiano Ronaldo, as silent as he had been after scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, levelled with 61 minutes elapsed.
Mendes crossed the ball, which deflected into the air. He quickly adapted, overpowered Marc Cucurella, and volleyed the falling ball home.
The coach replaced Ronaldo before the end due to cramp. Although Portugal dominated extra time, the game went to penalties.
Both teams had converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes scored Portugal’s fourth, before Morata took a step forward and fired straight at Diogo Costa.
Neves calmly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal supporters. The win was only Portugal’s second competitive victory over Iberian opponents Spain in their long history.
Portugal’s sole other victory against Spain in a competitive match was a 1–0 win that eliminated the Spaniards from Euro 2004, with 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left flank.
Portugal became the first two-time Nations League champion, introduced in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major championship, in addition to Euro 2016.
