Portugal beats Spain because of penalty shots

On June 8th, Portugal beat Spain in the 2025 Nations League purely because of penalty shots. The match was held in Munich, Germany.

The match ended with a score of 2-2 in overtime, meaning players would move on to penalty shots. Portugal scored 5 out of 5 of their penalty shots, while Spain only netted 4. Portugal broke the record for being the first country to win the Nations League for a second time. They had first won the title six years ago, in 2019.

In this year’s Nations League, people were excited for the finals as Spain and Portugal were battling for the win. 40-year-old Portugal captain and legend Ronaldo and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal faced off for the first time. The match wasn’t disappointing because both sides scored several goals. 21 minutes into the game, Martin Zabimendi from Spain scored the first point. Then, Portugal’s Nuro Mendes slammed a low shot in the corner of the net, lifting them into a 1-1 tie.

Spain’s Mikel Ogarzabal scored next, changing the score to 2-1 at half time. Ronaldo, the legendary player for Portugal, volleyed in his 138th international shot, lifting the score to a 2-2 tie. That was how the game ended after 90 minutes. With nobody scoring in the extra time, it meant it was time for the dreaded penalty shootout.

After Portugal made all five of their shots, and with Spain’s Alvaro Morata the only person to miss, Portugal won the trophy. After the match, Ronaldo was in tears as he explained how important this was to him. Ronaldo said, “Winning for Portugal is always special. I have many titles with clubs, but nothing is better than winning for Portugal.”

Ronaldo has already won two trophies with Portugal, and this is his third. He first was a champion in the Euro 2016 and then won the National League in 2019.