Portugal left it late but were crowned Nations League champions after producing a flawless penalty shootout to confound Spain at the Allianz Arena.
The Selecao twice came from behind to force extra time thanks to equalisers from Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo, before goalkeeper Diogo Carlos made himself a hero in the shootout, saving from Alvaro Morata to hand Ruben Neves the opportunity to seal the tie. He would make no mistake, sending Unai Simon the wrong way to secure Portugal’s second Nations League triumph. After a cagey opening few minutes adorned by a testy derby atmosphere, Spain were quick to take control of the tie.
While much of the pre-match focus was on Lamine Yamal and his prodigious talent, it was Nico Williams who offered the more credible threat early on, keeping the Portuguese back line on their heels and offering some teasing crosses into the area. But Yamal soon announced his presence, and it was his cross that opened the door for the opener. It dropped awkwardly in the area and Portugal could not clear it away before Martin Zubimendi pounced, firing home from close range.
Portugal vs Spain key points
- Penalty shootout begins
- GOAL! Ronaldo makes it two apiece
- GOAL! Oyarzabal restores Spain's lead
- GOAL! Mendes equalises for Portugal
- GOAL! Zubimendi opens scoring for La Roja
Thank you for following along
23:09 , Arthur FerridgePortugal left it late but were crowned Nations League champions after producing a flawless penalty shootout to confound Spain at the Allianz Arena.
The Selecao twice came from behind to force extra time thanks to equalisers from Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo, before goalkeeper Diogo Carlos made himself a hero in the shootout, saving from Alvaro Morata to hand Ruben Neves the opportunity to seal the tie. He would make no mistake, sending Unai Simon the wrong way to secure Portugal’s second Nations League triumph.
After a cagey opening few minutes adorned by a testy derby atmosphere, Spain were quick to take control of the tie.
While much of the prematch focus was on Lamine Yamal and his prodigious talent, it was Nico Williams who offered the more credible threat early on, keeping the Portuguese back line on their heels and offering some teasing crosses into the area.
FULL TIME: Portugal 2-2 (5-3) Spain
22:44 , Arthur FerridgeRuben Neves makes no mistake from the spot, and Portugal are Nations League champions!
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 4-3 Spain
22:44 , Arthur FerridgeDiogo Costa saves from Morata! He was brought on in extra time purely for the shootout, and he has fluffed his lines. Now Portugal have a kick to win.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 4-3 Spain
22:43 , Arthur FerridgeNuno Mendes drills his penalty into the top-right corner. Nothing Simon could say about that.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 3-3 Spain
22:42 , Arthur FerridgeThe veteran Isco puts his pen away, but only barely. Costa got a hand to it, but it wasn’t quite enough to stop the shot.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 3-2 Spain
22:41 , Arthur FerridgeBruno Fernandes steps up third, and does not miss. He very rarely does.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:40 , Arthur FerridgeBaena is next up for Spain and wastes no time. He slots his penalty away in the bottom right corner, sending Costa the wrong way again.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 2-1 Spain
22:40 , Arthur FerridgeThe Champions League-winning maestro Vitinha steps up next for Portugal.
He takes an agonisingly slow run-up before shooting left. Simon dives the right way but cannot reach it.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 1-1 Spain
22:38 , Arthur FerridgeMerino is top of the order for Spain and sends Costa the wrong way to score.
SHOOTOUT: Portugal 1-0 Spain
22:38 , Arthur FerridgeRamos goes down the middle and scores.
Penalty shootout
22:37 , Arthur FerridgeAll eyes are now on Diogo Costa and Unai Simon between the sticks. Goncalo Ramos will take first for Portugal.
FULL TIME: Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:34 , Arthur FerridgeTwo hours is not enough to separate the two sides, there will be penalties at the Allianz Arena!
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:33 , Arthur Ferridge120+1mins: A fantastic cross from Diaz finds the head of Diogo Jota but he cannot get it under the bar. Barely 20 seconds left now.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:32 , Arthur Ferridge120mins: One minute added on...
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:30 , Arthur Ferridge118mins: Zubimendi looks for Isco but his pass rolls out for a Portugal throw. Penalties look an inevitability now.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:29 , Arthur Ferridge117mins: Pino fizzes a cross to Morata, but he catches more man than ball as he attempts to shoot, and the referee gives a free kick the other way.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:28 , Arthur Ferridge116mins: Some of the gusto has come out of this one. Players look resigned to spot-kicks.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:24 , Arthur Ferridge113mins: A lot of yellow shirts in the box, but none can collect Isco’s cross.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:23 , Arthur Ferridge111mins: Oyarzabal is replaced by Morata.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:22 , Arthur Ferridge110mins: Porro is booked, as is tradition, after tripping Leao. Cynical, professional, necessary.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:20 , Arthur Ferridge109mins: Pedro Porro shoots from halfway! He spots Costa off his line and has a good crack at it, but finds the top of the net. What a goal that would have been.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:19107mins: Again the momentum flips - it is Spain back on the front foot and Cucurella in the engine room.
2ND HALF ET: Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:16 , Arthur FerridgeWe are back underway for the final round of the bout. Lamine Yamal’s evening is over, though, as he is replaced by Pino.
HT ET: Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:14 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it for the first 15 minutes of extra time, and still nothing to separate the sides. Penalties are not far away at all, now.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:13 , Arthur Ferridge105mins: Yamal sees his name in lights and lashes one from about 30 yards, but Costa catches it easily.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:12 , Arthur Ferridge104mins: Yamal takes down Leao about 35 yards from goal, and a clever set-piece routine sees a sweet cross along the six-yard box go begging. Portugal can’t believe they haven’t scored.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:10 , Arthur Ferridge102mins: Another dazzling run from Leao as he chases a late winner, but he takes one touch too many and is tackled by Porro before he can shoot.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:09 , Arthur Ferridge101mins: VAR check over. Two bookings - that’s your lot. Play on.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:08 , Arthur Ferridge100mins: Our fearless referee is brandishing bookings like they’re going out of fashion.
Upon viewing the replay, one would be surprised to see a penalty given, but the argie-bargie after the fact could require some penance.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:07 , Arthur Ferridge99mins: Mendes goes down in the area but sees his protests waved off by the referee, and major handbags follow. All 22 players look to be involved in the scrum as Portugal call for a penalty.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:06 , Arthur Ferridge98mins: A deflected shot falls to Cucurella on the edge of the area, but he is off balance and slices his shot over the bar.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:05 , Arthur Ferridge97mins: Baena clobbers Neto off the ball and the Portuguese goes down holding his head, prompting a stoppage. He is fine to continue, though.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:04 , Arthur Ferridge96mins: Mendes has been inspired since coming on - he was terrorising Mingueza and has continued the trend with Porro.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:01 , Arthur Ferridge93mins: After an hour and a half of football (and then some), the Portuguese and German fans in the crowd still have it in them to boo Cucurella at every opportunity. Impressive effort.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
22:00 , Arthur Ferridge92mins: That could have been it! Semedo finds himself loose in the area and puts Nuno Mendes’ cross wide with his weak foot.
Spain make changes: Williams and Mingueza are replaced by Baena and Porro.
ET: Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:58 , Arthur FerridgeBack underway for another half hour!
FT: Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:53 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it for the 90 minutes - another half an hour awaits!
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:5290+2mins: Fernandes shoots and it looks to be on target before Simon bats it away.
That should be that for regulation time.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:52 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Le Normand takes down Leao on the edge of the area. Can’t be handing Portugal a free-kick there at this stage of the game. Bruno Fernandes stands over it.
Two minutes are added on.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:49 , Arthur Ferridge87mins: Ronaldo goes down and looks to be nursing a cramp. He walks off under his own steam to be replaced by Goncalo Ramos, and hands the armband to Bruno Fernandes.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:46 , Arthur Ferridge86mins: Another reminder that if nobody scores in the next four minutes (plus injury time) we will face extra time, and maybe even penalties!
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:46 , Arthur Ferridge85mins: Renato Veiga does very well to clear Oyarzabal’s shot off the goalline, but the play is called dead as the Spaniard was deemed to be offside. Good clip for the highlight reel anyway.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:44 , Arthur Ferridge83mins: So close for Spain! Zubimendi drives brilliantly and finds Isco in space, whose long range effort is denied at full stretch by Costa.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:41 , Arthur Ferridge80mins: The Portugal ‘keeper Diogo Costa is down injured and rubbing his hamstring. The match stops briefly as he receives treatment.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:39 , Arthur Ferridge78mins: Leao gets on the ball for the first time and puts a fantastic ball into the back post, which Cucurella can only nod behind for a corner.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:37 , Arthur Ferridge76mins: Merino has been amongst the goals for Arsenal this year. Can he find a winner here?
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:35 , Arthur Ferridge75mins: Renato Veiga and Rafael Leao replace Goncalo Inacio and Bernardo Silva.
For Spain, Isco and Merino come on for Pedri and Ruiz.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:3372mins: Semedo breaks again and shapes up to cross before deciding to go alone, but Costa saves.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:31 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: Yamal is tripped by Mendes to give Spain another dangerous set-piece opportunity.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:30 , Arthur Ferridge69mins: How many times have we seen that shot from Williams tonight? He cuts in and curls an effort to the far corner, and again misses by a matter of inches.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:27 , Arthur Ferridge66mins: The free-kick comes to nothing and Ruben Neves’ penalty protest is waved away after he was hauled down in the area.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:26 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: Free-kick for Portugal high on the right flank.
Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:25 , Arthur Ferridge64mins: As Pedri misses a big chance for Spain, what better time to remind you, dear reader, that this match will go to extra time and penalties should it stay level.
GOAL! Portugal 2-2 Spain
21:22 , Arthur Ferridge61mins: Who else but him? Ronaldo equalises for Portugal!
Impressive spirit from the Selecao, who have dug deep to get back into this. Semedo’s cross is deflected but falls kindly for Ronaldo, who gets the better of Cucurella and fires home on the volley.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge59mins: Cucurella is played in behind and squares a good ball to Williams, who swings and misses. That could have been the game put to bed.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: Chance for Spain! Ronaldo is dispossessed and Spain attack at pace. Fabian Ruiz has a go from range, but Costa gets a strong hand to it.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:13 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: Williams looks to feint around Diaz but runs into the back of him. The referee waves away his protests as he begs for a foul.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: Nuno Mendes is down in a heap after dispossessing Yamal, but Portugal continue their attack. Neto crosses for Bernardo, but his ball is deflected into Simon’s open arms.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:10 , Arthur Ferridge48mins: Devastation for Portugal - Bruno Fernandes finishes wonderfully from Ronaldo’s flick, but the pass came from an offside position. Goal ruled out.
Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:0746mins: Huijsen splits Portugal wide open with a fantastic pass to Oyarzabal early in the half, and it seems even to have caught the Spanish out as they fail to capitalise on the advantage.
2ND HALF: Portugal 1-2 Spain
21:03 , Arthur FerridgeWe are back underway in Munich, and Portugal make two changes as Semedo and Ruben Neves replace Conceicao and Joao Neves.
HT: Portugal 1-2 Spain
20:49 , Arthur FerridgeOyarzabal’s timing with that equaliser could not have been more perfect. Is there a better time to score?
Portugal have it all to do after the break.
GOAL! Portugal 1-2 Spain
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: Oyarzabal adds another moments before half time! Devastating timing.
Pedri threads him through, and Oyarzabal gets the slightest touch to place a perfect finish out of Costa’s reach.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:44 , Arthur Ferridge43mins: Yamal clocks in for defensive duties and dispossesses Mendes. He turns and plays in a cross, but it is overhit.
As Portugal reclaim the ball and look to play out, Oyarzabal lashes out with a rash tackle to drop Joao Neves. Once again, he is very lucky to get away without a booking.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:42 , Arthur Ferridge41mins: It is Mingueza’s turn next to put in a professional foul and prevent Bernardo Silva from launching a forward run.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Conceicao clatters Cucurella late, and is lucky not to be booked for it.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:39 , Arthur Ferridge37mins: Williams is feeling his oats tonight. He again lets Cucurella’s overlapping run fly beyond him and goes alone, choosing instead to dish a cross to Oyarzabal in the box. He cannot quite reach it, though, and Portugal clear.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:35 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: The resultant free-kick is wasted as Fernandes puts too much mustard on his ball. Goal kick.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: Fabian Ruiz is booked for tripping Pedro Neto, who was flying goalwards at speed but saw his counter prematurely halted.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge33mins: Fans have not yet grown bored of booing Cucurella.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:33 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: Another tempting chance for Spain as Pedri plays a lovely cross over the area. It falls in the box but no yellow shirt can quite get a touch to it.
Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: Williams comes close to adding a third! He rounds the keeper but can’t quite keep the ball under control, and it goes behind for a goal kick.
GOAL! Portugal 1-1 Spain
20:28 , Arthur Ferridge26mins: An instant response from Portugal, who equalise through Nuno Mendes!
He absolutely puts his foot through the shot, striking across goal from the left side of the 18-yard box. Unai Simon is at full stretch but nowhere near it.
We are back level at the Allianz Arena!
Portugal 0-1 Spain
20:26 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: Classy defending from Ruben Dias, who tracks back to catch Williams and play the ball out off the forward’s shin for a goal kick.
Portugal 0-1 Spain
20:25 , Arthur Ferridge22mins: Dreadful news for Arsenal, who will now see their pursuit of Zubimendi’s services become that much more expensive.
GOAL! Portugal 0-1 Spain
20:23 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: Zubimendi opens the scoring for Spain!
Dreadful defending from Portugal, who totally fail to clear their lines as a loose ball bobbles in the area, and Zubimendi arrives late to exact punishment.
Is it fortunate for Spain? Sure. Will they care? Absolutely not.
Advantage, La Roja.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Inacio goes into the book for a clumsy aerial challenge.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: Close again for Spain! The live wire Williams cuts in off the left flank again, opts against playing Cucurella in behind and goes it alone, whipping a shot at the far corner and missing by mere centimetres. La Roja are knocking on the door with increasing urgency now.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:17 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: Agonisingly close for Spain! Huijsen pings a ball forward to Williams, who carries to the byline and finds Pedri on the edge of the box. His shot is just wide - he had plenty of time and should really have done better.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:15 , Arthur Ferridge14mins: Yamal’s free-kick is forgettable. Goal kick to Portugal.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge12mins: Spain are settling into a rhythm now, enjoying some good spells in possession and mounting the far more credible attacks. Nico Williams looks dangerous, so too is Yamal, who dances in off the right flank to win a free-kick.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: A clumsy moment from Nuno Mendes, who looks to feed Pedro Neto on the break but overhits his pass into touch.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge7mins: Spain enjoy some possession in the final third but a pair of Cucurella crosses are cut out. The Spaniard is being booed on every touch by the German contingent in the crowd, who maintain some animosity after his controversial handball a few years back.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: A tidy corner routine from Portugal - they take it short and find Bernardo at the far post. He pulls back for Neves, whose volley is wide on the bounce.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge4mins: Yamal is dispossessed by Ronaldo. Old dog, new tricks?
The Portugal counter-attack results in a corner.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge2mins: A worrying injury already here as Conceicao is down injured. He looks to be in some discomfort after being caught late by Cucurella, but he will play on.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:02 , Arthur Ferridge1mins: Yamal gets on the ball for the first time and gets the stadium on the edge of their seats with a diagonal dribble before being swiftly dispossessed.
KICK OFF: Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:01 , Arthur FerridgePortugal get us underway in the Nations League final!
The players take the field
19:54 , Arthur FerridgeReal Madrid and Portugal legend Pepe brings the Nations League trophy out on pitch and is followed out by the players.
Time for the anthems, then, kick off.
Kick off comes next
19:52 , Arthur FerridgeWe are just moments away from the Nations League final getting underway now!
Great vibes ahead of kick-off
19:46 , Arthur FerridgeSpain don’t look to be feeling the pressure ahead of this tie, even slightly.
That doesn’t bode well for Portugal...
The vibes in this Spain team 🤣
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) June 8, 2025
🇵🇹🆚🇪🇸 #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/OYvRYNWZkJ
How does Ronaldo affect this game?
19:43 , Arthur FerridgeNow 40, Ronaldo is not going to be making the same driving powerful runs we got used to seeing in his prime Real Madrid days.
So what role does he fill now?
In recent international ties, Ronaldo has played as an out-and-out striker, simply waiting in the penalty area as he eyed poachers’ finishes.
It has worked for him too - he has seven goals in eight appearances in this Nations League campaign.
Tonight's colours
19:35 , Arthur FerridgeUnfortunately, only one of these two sides can wear red tonight, and that honour is bestowed upon Portugal.
Spain will don their yellow change strip.
Last time out
19:30 , Arthur FerridgeThis is the first meeting between Spain and Portugal since the previous edition of the Nations League, which La Roja went on to win.
They shared a group together, grinding to a 1-1 draw in the first match before Spain won out 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Braga thanks to Alvaro Morata’s late winner.
He is in the squad tonight - could he repeat his heroics?
What does the Nations League final mean?
19:23 , Arthur FerridgeFantastic question, I’m glad you asked!
The short answer is that the winner gets a trophy, and a small monetary purse, thought to be in the region of £8-9million.
The tournament carries some European Championship qualification implications for the lower-ranked teams, who can earn a second chance to reach the tournament if they perform well in the Nations League.
Transfer speculation
19:15 , Arthur FerridgeA fair few players on the pitch tonight do not yet know where they will be playing their football next season.
Ronaldo is expected to leave Al Nassr despite announcing that he will not move in time for the Club World Cup.
On the Portugal bench, two discontented Chelsea loanees in Renato Veiga and Joao Felix could move away from Stamford Bridge. In the starting XI, who is to say Bruno Fernandes couldn’t still be offloaded in the name of PSR?
Spain centre-back Huijsen has already jumped ship from Bournemouth to Real Madrid earlier in the window, while Nico Williams continues to draw interest from a range of clubs, Arsenal chief among them.
Samu Omorodion is also drawing interest from various clubs, and could again enter talks with Chelsea as the Blues look to work with the striker market.
Catch up on all the latest with our transfer rumours LIVE BLOG.
Plenty of title-winning pedigree on show
19:08 , Arthur FerridgeEvery Nations League final has featured one of Portugal or Spain.
Portugal were the first nation to win the competition, if you cast your mind way, way back to 2019.
Spain have played in both finals since, losing to France in 2021 before beating Croatia in 2023 after a penalty shootout.
As such, tonight’s winner will be the first to hoist the fabled Nations League title twice.
The teams have arrived on location
18:59 , Arthur FerridgeA cup final atmosphere is building at the Allianz Arena...
What to make of the Portugal squad
18:49While he had been tipped to move into his favoured midfield, Joao Neves again looks to have got the nod at right-back.
A core of PSG stars feature in this XI, with Nuno Mendes and Vitinha joining Neves.
Conceicao and Ronaldo were the goalscorers last time out and return on the flanks.
Portugal confirmed XI
18:44 , Arthur FerridgeRoberto Martinez names his squad to face his home nation.
Confirmed Portugal XI: Costa; Nuno Mendes, Inacio, Dias, Neves; Vitinha, Fernandes, Silva; Conceicao, Neto, Ronaldo
Subs: José Sá, Rui Silva, Nélson Semedo, António Silva, Dalot, João Palhinha, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Renato Veiga, Francisco Trincão, Rafael Leão, Rúben Neves, Pedro Gonçalves, Diogo Jota, Rodrigo Mora
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