Portugal defeats Spain to win the Nations League for the second time

Portugal defeats Spain

 Portugal defeats Spain to win the Nations League for the second time

Portugal won the UEFA Nations League title for the second time in its history on penalties, defeating Spain. Portugal won the title after defeating Spain 5-3 on penalties in the final of the continental competition late Sunday night. The two teams resorted to penalties after a 2-2 draw after extra time.

Spain, who secured a thrilling 5-4 victory over France in the semi-finals last Thursday, took the lead through Martin Zubimendi in the 21st minute, but Nuno Mendes quickly equalized for Portugal in the 26th minute.

Mikel Oyarzabal restored Spain's lead in the 45th minute, but veteran star Cristiano Ronaldo equalized for Portugal in the 61st minute. Ronaldo continued his scoring streak in the competition for the second consecutive match, having scored in the "Brazil of Europe"'s 2-1 semi-final victory over Germany last Wednesday.

Ronaldo's goal took his tally to 138 in 231 appearances for Portugal, cementing his position as the all-time top scorer and all-time top international appearance maker.

Both teams tried unsuccessfully to snatch the winning goal during regulation time, so they played an extra half-hour, divided equally into two halves. However, the score remained the same, and the match ultimately went to penalty kicks, which smiled on Portugal, who reclaimed the title they won in 2019.