Germany 1-2 Portugal: Nations League semi-final – as it happened | Nations League
Key events
Match report
I have to make a quick exit, but we’ll have a match report online shortly. Cristiano Ronaldo eh? Still got it. Thanks for joining me, it’s been fun.
Full time: Germany 1-2 Portugal
Francisco Conceição’s wonder strike and Cristiano Ronaldo’s close-range finish turned the game on its head after Florian Wirtz had broken the deadlock. Portugal deservedly beat their hosts and advance to Sunday’s final here against France or Spain.
94 mins: Portugal corner, but Germany get a free kick and a chance to pump the ball upfield. Portugal repel the long ball forward, though, and Fernandes plays in Jota for a shot at goal, which Ter Stegen saves. And that’s time up …
93 mins: Portugal are able to clear and break downfield, but Fernandes’ attempted pass to Jota is straight into Ter Stegen’s path. Still, more seconds slip off the clock. Vitinha produces a dazzling run from the corner flag, from which Palhinha’s shot deflects behind. Time running out for Germany …
91 mins: Germany win a corner, but Kimmich’s floated delivery clears everyone. Fullkrug appeals after a grapple with Fernandes, but it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.
89 mins: Ronaldo is going off to rapturous applause, replaced by Joao Palhinha. There’ll be five minutes of injury time.
88 mins: I’m not sure how Portugal didn’t score a third here – Ter Stegen has pulled off an absolutely miraculous double save! He parried Jota’s effort out to Conceicao, who looked certain to score, but somehow the German keeper springs across to keep the ball out again.
86 mins: Just before it all kicked off, Diogo Jota replaced Pedro Neto for Portugal. An awkward moment for him, potentially.
84 mins: Tempers boiling over in the time-honoured style here, and it all stems from an exchange between Wirtz and Silva. The Manchester City man went to ground without much contact, prompting a melee that sees Wirtz, Fullkrug and Ruben Dias booked. Possibly Fernandes too – the yellow card was being waved with impunity.
82 mins: Just as it seems Portugal are certain to score next, Adeyemi finds space and smashes his shot against the near post from a tight angle. Inches from a Germany equaliser!
81 mins: Conceicao gallops free again down the right, cuts inside and smashes a shot just wide of the far post. He’s been close to unplayable since coming on.
80 mins: Conceicao returns with one sleeve still rolled up – the absolute baller – drops his clothed shoulder and crosses to Neto, whose header is collected by Ter Stegen.
79 mins: Bruno Fernandes, who has been key to Portugal’s revival, turns beyond Tah and is hauled down. The Germany defender is booked, while Conceicao receives some magic spray on his shoulder – I’m not sure why.
78 mins: Portugal almost unpick the German defence again, Fernandes with another lovely weighted ball in behind for Conceicao, whose cross is scrambled clear by Kimmich before Ronaldo can get a decisive touch.
77 mins: Gnabry’s cross towards Fullkrug is cleared away by Inacio at the near post. Germany just allowing their opponents too much time to get numbers back.
75 mins: Nmecha threads a ball through to Goretzka, who can’t reach it and looks back in anger. It looked quite a good pass to me, Goretzka just wasn’t expecting it.
73 mins: Germany are still scrambling for a foothold in the game, and Gnabry is penalised for hauling down Nuno Mendes.
71 mins: Two Dortmund players, Karim Adeyemi and Felix Nmecha, are on in place of Anton and Pavlovic. That means a switch to a back four from Nagelsmann.
That’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s 137th Portugal goal, and he is serenaded by the elated Portugal fans who fill the opposite end of the ground. There’s a VAR check for offside, but Ronaldo – despite being offside for pretty much the entire move – got behind the ball just in time for Mendes’ cross.
GOAL! Germany 1-2 Portugal (Ronaldo 68′)
Wow. Germany’s defence is all at sea as Fernandes plays in the marauding Nuno Mendes, whose cross finds Ronaldo on his own in front of goal. He’ll still be scoring these in another 40 years, and Portugal lead!
64 mins: Portugal have reacted brilliantly when you might have expected heads to drop. Ronaldo almost spins into a one-on-one with Ter Stegen, but is tackled well by Anton, and Vitinha’s shot from the edge of the area is blocked.
Conceicao, whose father Sergio scored the last time Portugal beat Germany, picked up the ball on the right, glides forward and then smashes a swerving, dipping strike from 25 yards, a heat-seeking missile bound for the far corner. Finish!
GOAL! Germany 1-1 Portugal (Conceição 62′)
This is an absolutely outrageous finish from Francisco Conceição, and Portugal are level!
61 mins: Portugal win a free kick more than 30 yards out, and Ronaldo is lining it up. He couldn’t, could he? No, as it turns out – his effort rattles into the Germany wall.
60 mins: Woltemade, who made a promising impact on his debut, is replaced by Niclas Fullkrug, a more conventional centre-forward. Sané is replaced by Bayern clubmate Serge Gnabry.
58 mins: Ronaldo leaps like the proverbial salmon to meet a corner, but sends his header a few feet over the bar. Time for the hosts to make a few changes …
57 mins: It’s a Francisco-for-Francisco swap as Conceicao replaces Trincao, while Vitinha is on for Ruben Neves, and Nelson Semedo is on at right-back for Joao Neves. A triple change from Bobby Martinez.
56 mins: Fernandes has a shot from the edge of the area that fizzes just wide of the far post. He appeals at length for a corner, but the officials are unmoved. Portugal preparing their first couple of changes …
53 mins: Portugal will have to push forward now, which could in turn create more space for Germany’s speedier attacking players. Ruben Neves has picked up a booking, possibly for dissent after the goal.
Slavko Vincic has a quick look to check the foul, and a possible offside against Wirtz – and quickly concludes there’s nothing to see here. His only action is to book Roberto Martínez for whirling his arms too theatrically on the touchline.
Kimmich, earning his 100th cap today, cracks open the Portuguese offside trap with a scooped pass, and Wirtz is there to head beyond Costa. Ruben Dias is furious – he thinks he was obstructed by Woltemade, but it looks a weak case to me. But hang on: the referee is going to the monitor …
GOAL! Germany 1-0 Portugal (Wirtz 48′)
Moments later, Germany lead as Florian Wirtz heads home!
46 mins: Oooooof! Mendes wins the ball and bustles upfield, whipping a perfect low cross towards Ronaldo at the back post. He has to score … but can’t stretch his right boot quite enough, sending the ball wide!
Second half
We are back under way, with no changes for either side.
Will either side make half-time changes? Portugal’s bench in particular has a ridiculous amount of talent on it – Rafael Leão, Vitinha, Diogo Jota, and Porto wonderkid Rodrigo Mora, who’s in line to make his debut tonight.
“Roberto Martínez teams are almost invariably poor defensively, and he now has brought his magic to the Portugal attack,” fumes Gene Salorio. I think their setup has worked reasonably well, although they’ve lacked a cutting edge. Ronaldo really should have switched to a super-sub role by now, though – is he really going to start at the World Cup next summer?
Half time! Germany 0-0 Portugal
After an uneventful minute of stoppage time, the players head to the tunnel. The best chance fell to Germany debutant Nick Woltemade, but Portugal had opportunities on the break, not least when Cristiano Ronaldo drew an early save from Ter Stegen. More soon.
44 mins: A first sigh of frustration from Wirtz as an attacking move falls apart. Germany have had the better of possession and put together far more passes, but have been tentative in the final third.
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