Portugal vs Germany: UEFA Nations League Semi Final Today
In today’s high-stakes UEFA Nations League semi-final (June 4, 2025), Portugal upended Germany 2–1 in Munich to reach the final. The young Porto winger Francisco Conceição delivered the pivotal strike — echoing a family legacy — and veteran Cristiano Ronaldo added insurance, highlighting a passing-of-the-torch moment from Portugal’s legendary stars to its emerging talents. It was Portugal’s first win over Germany since Euro 2000 (the very year Francisco’s father Sérgio scored a famous hat-trick against the Germans). In this UEFA Nations League match, the Portugal vs Germany result set the score at 2–1 in favor of the visitors, a comeback sealed by those two Portuguese goals.
The Allianz Arena was electric as the UEFA Nations League semi-final got underway. Germany dominated early phases of the game, but Portugal’s keeper Diogo Costa had a sensational first half. As noted by ESPN, the first half remained 0-0 “thanks to the heroics of Portugal keeper Diogo Costa”. He twice denied Germany’s momentum – parrying a long-range drive from Leon Goretzka and then blocking a point-blank effort by debutant Nick Woltemade. Each save from Costa kept Germany off the board, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. In fact, the Portuguese crowd could hardly believe how Costa repeatedly turned away Germany’s threats, ensuring the Nations League clash stayed even at the break.
Francisco Conceição’s Historic Goal and Ronaldo’s Impact
Just a few minutes after the restart, Germany finally broke the deadlock. In the 48th minute, Bayer Leverkusen youngster Florian Wirtz met a pinpoint cross from Joshua Kimmich and thundered an unmarked header into the net. The home side took a 1–0 lead, and for a brief moment it looked like the Nations League football bracket might favor Germany, as defender Kimmich quipped that after “going 1-0 up, nothing came of it in the second half.” Yet this early second-half goal only set the stage for Portugal’s resurgence.
Portugal responded with force. Coach Roberto Martínez brought on the 20-year-old Francisco Conceição as a substitute, and the move paid off almost immediately. Merely five minutes after entering the game, Francisco slalomed past Robin Gosens and unleashed a sensational long-distance strike into the far corner. ESPN’s match report described it exactly: “Conceição needed only five minutes to make a mark with a brilliant long-range strike.” That stunning goal leveled the score at 1–1 and ignited the Portuguese fans. Just minutes later, fullback Nuno Mendes delivered a low cross into the box that found Cristiano Ronaldo unmarked. The captain of Portugal coolly tapped home from close range, putting Portugal ahead 2–1. In one blistering six-minute spell, the game had turned on its head, and Portugal was in front for the first time.
Key Moments and Match Analysis in the Nations League Semi Final
The final half-hour saw a frantic finish. Germany poured on the pressure trying to snatch an equalizer. Substitute Karim Adeyemi smashed a powerful effort that cannoned off the post, narrowly missing a chance to force extra time. But Portugal held firm; Costa and the back line repelled every last attack. Even German keeper Marc-André ter Stegen, usually a stalwart, could not alter the score. In the end, Portugal’s defense and midfield triumphed. When the final whistle blew, Portuguese players and fans alike erupted in relief and joy. This Nations League semi-final victory felt like a storybook ending for Portugal.
Off the field, the narrative was impossible to ignore. Francisco Conceição’s match-winning goal instantly drew comparisons to his father’s heroics. Twenty-five years ago on June 20, 2000, Sergio Conceição had scored a famous hat-trick against Germany in the European Championship, knocking the Germans out of the tournament. By a twist of fate, young Francisco was now the one to damage Germany’s hopes under the same sky. As ESPN noted, “the win carried extra significance, as his father Sergio scored a hat trick the last time Portugal beat Germany – at the European Championship in 2000.” It was a poignant Nations League football moment: like father, like son, bridging generations of Portuguese talent.
And speaking of legends, Cristiano Ronaldo was also part of the story. At 40 years old, Ronaldo added his 137th international goal and became the oldest player ever to score against Germany. The Associated Press highlighted how this goal broke Ronaldo’s “curse” – he had lost all five previous encounters with the Germans – and finally gave Portugal a winner after a quarter-century. So as history and the present intertwined, Portugal found their heroes in both its old champion and its new star. Fans will talk about this match as a symbolic passing of the torch: the veteran Ronaldo and the wunderkind Conceição leading the way.
Portugal’s Journey Ahead: The Road to the UEFA Nations League Final
With the win, Portugal booked its spot in the UEFA Nations League final match. Fox Sports reports that the winners of Wednesday’s semis would await the winner of the Spain–France semi-final. Indeed, the Nations League bracket is now set: Spain faces France in the other semi on Thursday, and the victor will take on Portugal in Sunday’s final. Germany, meanwhile, will play the losing side of Spain–France in the third-place game on Saturday. For Portugal, the road ahead is clear. This team, which already won the inaugural 2019 Nations League title, is now one match away from lifting the UEFA Nations League trophy again.
What lies ahead is another chapter in this Nations League campaign. Portugal will carry the confidence of their comeback, and in the locker room the conversation is surely about Sunday’s showdown – a must-watch soccer match for fans. Can the Portuguese blend the flair of their youth and the wisdom of their veterans one more time? The fans are buzzing, the stadiums are ready, and the Nations League final looms. For now, though, Portugal savors this memorable semi-final victory. The UEFA Nations League continues on, and today Portugal has given itself a dream of glory in the final.
