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| AP Yonhap News |
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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The immortal Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nasr) burst into tears as he won his third trophy in Portugal.
Portugal defeated Spain in the UEFA Nations League (UNL). Portugal tied Spain 2-2 in the 2024-2025 season UNL final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 9th (Korea time) after 120 minutes of bloodshed and won the penalty shootout 5-3.
Portugal lifted another UNL trophy six years after the first tournament in 2019. Spain, which has won Euro 2024, sought its second championship after the 2022-2023 season, but failed to overcome the last crisis. Ronaldo was thrilled to win his second UNL title after winning two Euro 2016.
Ronaldo scored his second equalizer. Spain took the lead in the 21st minute with Martin Subimendi (Real Madrid)'s first goal. Portugal brought the game to square one in five minutes. Lee Kang-in's teammate Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain) scored the equalizer.
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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Spain broke the balance again in the 45th minute with a goal from Mikel Oyarsabal (Real Sociedad). Ronaldo saved Portugal in the 16th minute of the second half. Mendes' cross from the left side hit the opponent's defense and floated high. Ronaldo shook the net with his right foot after overcoming a physical fight with Marc Cucurella (Chelsea).
Ronaldo scored eight goals in nine matches of the tournament. He broke the record for the most goals with his 138th goal in the A-match series.
Ronaldo was replaced by Gonzalo Hamus (Paris Saint-Germain) in the 43rd minute of the second half. Portugal and Spain failed to shake the net even in overtime. The joys and sorrows were mixed in the shootout, which was 'God's roulette game'.
Portugal's five players, starting with Hamus, Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Mendes and Juven Neves (Al Hilal), all succeeded in kicking. Spain, on the other hand, dropped its head when veteran striker Alvaro Morata (Galatasaray), who was the fourth kicker, missed.
Fullback Mendes, who was responsible for Portugal's first goal, contributed to Ronaldo's second scoring process, and calmly shook the net in the shootout, was selected as the tournament's most valuable player.
Ronaldo said, `It's always special to win for Portugal. A lot of wins at the club, but there's nothing better than winning for Portugal. Tears are a great joy in fulfilling one's duty."
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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| Reuters Yonhap News |
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The pride match between Ronaldo and Spain's future Ramin Yamal (17, Barcelona), who is 23 years younger than his son, was interested. Yamal, who made his A-match debut in September 2023, also recorded the youngest appearance and score (16 years and 57 days) and the youngest appearance (16 years and 338 days) in the Euros. Yamal brings Spain to the top at Euro 2024. He also broke the record for the youngest La Liga start (16 years and 38 days) and scoring goals (16 years and 87 days) at Barcelona.
Former Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi, who faced Yamal in the semi-finals of the European Champions League, said "Yamal is a talent that appears once every 50 years". It was really impressive to see it up close. Our players played two or three times as hard to face Yamal"I stuck my tongue out
The old officer was a famous officer. Ronaldo showed a level of skill by taking Yamal's ball under constant pressure and launching a fastball. "This is why Ronaldo is on the field," said Andrews Townsent from Tottenham, speaking on `ITV.' He is a fierce striker in the box. I know exactly where the ball is going to go, and I have good contact ability as well."People have been denigrating him over and over, but he did his part tonight. He has already exceeded his role in the semifinals. He proved that he can still make a difference at the highest level," he praised.
Yamal scored two goals in the semifinals against France, but remained silent on the day. He mostly made four shots from distance, but was far from the goal. Spanish football expert Guillaume Ballag said "Yamal will realize tonight. He didn't have a presence today. He pointed out, "You'll have to figure out how to solve this problem.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
