Ronaldo Scores his 137th Int’l Goal, Leads Portugal to Nations League Final

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
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Ronaldo Scores his 137th Int’l Goal, Leads Portugal to Nations League Final

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal fought back to beat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, with the 40-year-old bagging his 137th international goal to send them into the Nations League final.

It was Portugal's first win over Germany since 2000 with Ronaldo's goal earning them a spot in their second Nations League final, after winning the inaugural edition in 2019.

Spain and France will clash in the other semi-final on Thursday to decide who will face Portugal in the decider on Sunday.

Germany dominated the first half, but it remained goalless thanks to the heroics of Portugal keeper Diogo Costa.

The shotstopper made an excellent start to the first half, keeping out a low shot from Germany's Leon Goretzka after four minutes with a strong save.

Costa came to Portugal's rescue again with an incredible save from Nick Woltemade’s close-range effort and two minutes later, he produced another quick reaction stop, diving low to tip away another attempt from Goretzka.

Germany took the lead in the 48th minute, as Florian Wirtz headed in unmarked in the box, following a pinpoint lobbed pass from Joshua Kimmich.

However, Portugal turned the match around, first equalizing through substitute Francisco Conceicao in the 63rd minute, before Ronaldo tapped in five minutes later after Nuno Mendes teed him up.

For Conceicao, 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.

"We need to enjoy the victory – we won for the first time in a while against Germany. Tactically we were exceptional and our commitment helped... it was a team victory," Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said, according to Reuters.

"Now we can recover and evaluate," he added. "We want another performance with personality in this shirt."

Germany looked to shift the momentum when substitute Karim Adeyemi unleashed a powerful rising strike with his left foot, only to see it crash against the outside of Costa’s right-hand post.

Portugal could have grabbed a third goal very late in the match but Germany keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen stretched impressively to perform a double save.

It was a disappointing 100th appearance for Germany captain Kimmich.

"The defeat is absolutely deserved. We weren't playing well enough in the first half. After going 1-0 up, nothing came of it in the second half," he told reporters.

"We have to learn from this. If we're not at 100%, we can't beat a top European team. Today was one of our worst games, purely based on our performance."



Like a Movie in the Mind: Norris Paints a Picture of Title-Winning Moment 

McLaren's Lando Norris is interviewed the day after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
McLaren's Lando Norris is interviewed the day after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Like a Movie in the Mind: Norris Paints a Picture of Title-Winning Moment 

McLaren's Lando Norris is interviewed the day after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
McLaren's Lando Norris is interviewed the day after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Lando Norris has an idea for a painting, one that would capture everything he saw and felt in the final laps before he became Formula One world champion.

The 26-year-old McLaren driver would hang it on his wall as a permanent record of what can only be described as an out-of-body experience as he headed for the chequered flag at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in a hotel room a day after the most momentous event of his life, Norris related how memories and sensations, and thoughts of family and friends, had played out like "the montage of my life" in his head.

The last two laps before crossing the line in third place, all he needed to secure the title, were the best memory of all. "I really want to get someone to do a painting of me. I need to find an artist but from my view," the Briton said.

"My eyes, coming around, with the visor and the bumps and everything, seeing all the papayas (McLaren colors) and just seeing the chequered flag, and that moment of coming around the last corner, lifting off and then I can have both my gloves here (in front of his face) because I started to cry...

"I want to save that moment. Because that was really the 'it' moment."

LIKE THE LAST MOMENTS OF A LIFE

McLaren's late Brazilian triple-champion Ayrton Senna once described a 1988 lap of Monaco in similar terms of wonderment -- relating how he felt he was no longer driving the car consciously but in another realm.

Norris would not put himself in such a league, but what he described carried echoes of the past.

Three laps from the end he had wondered how it would hit him to be champion, and he feared he might not feel anything.

And then it happened, a highlights reel in the mind.

"It's like a movie, when you get those flashbacks at the end and you see that style of last moments of someone. It's not the last moments for me but it was like that," he said.

"I was watching me ... just being able to watch me and watch me drive around but all within the space of a couple of minutes.

"I'm watching from above. I'm just watching from a bird's-eye, helicopter view."

Norris, who won in Monaco this year, recalled childhood karting and video games with his father Adam. He imagined his mother, Cisca, watching in the garage and the tears welled up.

He revealed that before the weekend he had looked up videos of how other champions - compatriot Lewis Hamilton who has been there seven times and Sebastian Vettel a four-times winner of the prized trophy - had celebrated their successes. In the end he did it his way, without copying anything.

"I'm happy I didn't in the end because what played out was just what I felt - spontaneous, more just all in the moment. And that made it extra special," he said.


Salah Out of Liverpool Squad for Champions League Game After Rift with Slot

Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Training - AXA Training Center, Liverpool, Britain - December 8, 2025 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during training. (Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)
Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Training - AXA Training Center, Liverpool, Britain - December 8, 2025 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during training. (Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)
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Salah Out of Liverpool Squad for Champions League Game After Rift with Slot

Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Training - AXA Training Center, Liverpool, Britain - December 8, 2025 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during training. (Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)
Football - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool Training - AXA Training Center, Liverpool, Britain - December 8, 2025 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during training. (Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)

Mohamed Salah is out of Arne Slot's squad for Liverpool's Champions League game against Inter Milan, following his stinging public criticism of the club.

The Egyptian forward's name was missing from a 19-player squad Monday as the team traveled to Italy. He had earlier seemed in good spirits at training in England.

Salah said it “seems like the club has thrown me under the bus” and he doesn't have “any relationship” with Slot after he was benched for the third game in a row Saturday.

Salah has won two Premier League titles and the Champions League during a trophy-laden eight years at Anfield. He signed a two-year contract extension in April just before he received his second Premier League player of the season award.

Salah is due to go to the Africa Cup of Nations this month with Egypt before the transfer window opens in January.


Real Madrid Defender Éder Militão Set to Be Sidelined for Few Months because of Injury

Real Madrid's Eder Militao is assisted from the pitch after getting an injury during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Eder Militao is assisted from the pitch after getting an injury during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Real Madrid Defender Éder Militão Set to Be Sidelined for Few Months because of Injury

Real Madrid's Eder Militao is assisted from the pitch after getting an injury during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Eder Militao is assisted from the pitch after getting an injury during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid defender Éder Militão is expected to be sidelined for at least three months because of a left leg injury.

The club said Monday that Militão underwent tests and was diagnosed with a rupture of the biceps femoris tendon in his leg. It said his “progress will be monitored.”

Such injuries could require from three to fourth months of recovery, Spanish media said, The AP news reported.

Militão had to leave Madrid's 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Sunday in the first half. He was assisted off the field at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Militão, a Brazil international, had to deal with serious knee injuries in recent years.

He is the latest setback to affect Xabi Alonso's squad that has been depleted by injuries recently.