On Sunday, June 8, the final match of the UEFA Nations League between Portugal and Spain will take place in Germany. The match will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The match will start at 22:00.
Portugal's path to the final
The Portuguese reached the tournament final with only one defeat. In the group stage, the team met with Croatia (2:1, 1:1), Scotland (2:1, 0:0) and Poland (3:1, 5:1), taking first place in the group.
In the quarterfinals, Portugal lost to Denmark away with a score of 0:1. However, at home they managed to turn the situation around. The main time of the return match ended with a score of 3:2, the decisive goal in the 86th minute was scored by Francisco Trincão. In extra time, Trincão and Gonçalo Ramos completed the rout.
In the semi-final, which also took place in Munich, Roberto Martinez's team competed with Germany. After a cautious first half from both sides, the hosts opened the scoring at the beginning of the second half. But the successful intervention of the Portuguese coaching staff and the entry of fresh players onto the field proved decisive. The winning goal in a dramatic ending was scored by veteran Cristiano Ronaldo.
Spain — undefeated
On their way to the final, Spain did not suffer a single defeat. In the group stage, Luis de la Fuente's team started with a draw against Serbia (0:0), and then delivered five consecutive victories. The Spaniards twice beat Denmark (1:0, 2:1) and Switzerland (4:1, 3:2), and also confidently defeated Serbia (3:0).
In the quarterfinals, they faced the Netherlands. Both matches ended in a draw (2:2, 3:3), and then the Spaniards snatched victory in a penalty shootout.
The semi-final against France turned out to be a real drama. Spain quickly seized the initiative and took a 4:1 lead. However, the French did not give up and managed to reduce the deficit to a minimum. The game ended with a score of 5:4 in favor of Spain.
Finalists' squads
Spain:
- Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic), David Raya (Arsenal), Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad);
- Defenders: Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Óscar Mingueza (Celta), Robin Le Normand (Atlético), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Daniel Vivian (Athletic);
- Midfielders: Pedri, Fermín López, Gavi (all — Barcelona), Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Álex Baena (Villarreal), Isco (Betis);
- Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo (both — Barcelona), Álvaro Morata (Galatasaray), Nico Williams (Athletic), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal), Samu Omorodion (Porto), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad).
Portugal:
- Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), José Sá (Wolverhampton);
- Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nélson Semedo (Wolverhampton), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Renato Veiga (Juventus), António Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting);
- Midfielders: João Neves, Vitinha (both — PSG), Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), João Palhinha (Bayern), Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting), João Félix (Milan);
- Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Rafael Leão (Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Francisco Trincão (Sporting), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG).
History of confrontations
The last head-to-head match between Spain and Portugal took place in September 2022 — then "La Roja" won with a minimal score of 1:0. Before that, both national teams drew five times in a row.
Despite both teams having a powerful attacking line, their head-to-head matches usually do not feature a large number of goals. There is a possibility that only one team will score in the final (coefficient — 2.34).
It should be recalled that the current winner of the Nations League is the Spanish national team. In the 2023 final, the Spaniards defeated Croatia and won the prestigious trophy.