Portugal 2–2 (5–3 Pen) Spain Player Ratings: Portugal Lift Their 2nd Nations League Title as Morata Misses in the Shootout

Portugal locked horns with Spain in a mouth-watering clash in the Nations League final on 8th June, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The game started with Spain keeping a lot of possession, while Portugal entirely relied on their counter-attacking abilities. Both teams were quite cautious with their approach in the first ten minutes of the game.

The champions of the 2019 edition were mainly on the back foot, as Spain were swift in winning the ball in the middle of the park. The European champions tried to mix up their play when things started to become too predictable.

Spain's pressure paid dividends, as Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring for La Roja. Ruben Dias failed to deal properly with Lamine Yamal's cross, which was again failed to clear away properly by either Joao Neves or Diogo Costa, and Zubimendi was at the right spot to tuck it home in the 21st minute. The lead lasted for five minutes as Nuno Mendes brought Portugal back into the game with an exquisite finish from outside the left-hand side of the penalty box in the 26th minute. Pedro Neto turned provider as Mendes sprinted into the box and finished it into the far-left corner. Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to be offside in the build-up to the goal, but a VAR check ultimately deemed the goal to be legal. Spain came back to turn it around as Silva lost the ball in the middle of the park, which found its way to Pedri, and the Spaniard made a quick run before serving it on a plate for Mikel Oyarzabal to finish it past the diving Diogo Costa, just before the half-time break.

In the second half, Portugal played with more urgency as they tried to push forward looking for the second equalizer. Their efforts proved to be fruitful as Nuno Mendes' cross took a wicked deflection off Robin Le Normand before finding its way to Cristiano Ronaldo, who kept Marc Cucurella at bay to slot it calmly past Unai Simon in the 62nd minute.

With the score at 2-2 after 90 minutes, the game went into extra time. Mendes provided a low cross into the box, which was scuffed just wide off the left post by Nelson Semedo. The team couldn't be separated in the extra time either, as the game went into penalties. Morata missed from the spot as Portugal were crowned champions. Here are the Portugal National Football Team vs Spain National Football Team player ratings.

Portugal National Football Team Player Ratings

Goalkeeper:

Diogo Costa - 6/10

Pulled off a brilliant save from Isco's long-range effort in the dying minutes of the game. Showcased his passing range at times with pinpoint balls over the top.

Defenders:

João Neves - 6/10

Played out of position again, Neves put in an okayish shift defensively as he struggled to keep up with the pace of Nico Williams at times. Offensively, the Portuguese midfielder made a few good runs with the ball.

Ruben Dias - 6.5/10

Rock solid at the back, commanded the defensive line well. The defender had to lunge in a tackle or two when needed and expertly cleared away a handsome number of crosses.

Goncalo Inacio - 6/10

Inacio was caught out of position at times, providing space for Fabian Ruiz to make those darting runs into the box. The defender struggled to keep up with the pace of the likes of Lamine Yamal and had a hard time defending against the high-flying winger.

Nuno Mendes - 7/10

He was troubled a lot by the young sensation, Lamine Yamal, as the Spaniard got the better of Mendes on numerous occasions with his out-of-this-world trickery. Offensively, Mendes made several good runs into the danger area and put in a flurry of good crosses. Brought back Portugal on level terms with an exquisite finish.

Midfielders:

Bernardo Silva - 6/10

Silva kept the ball moving in the midfield and provided quite a few exquisite through balls, which the Spanish defenders had no answers to.

Vitinha - 6/10

The engine of the Portuguese midfield, Vitinha, ran the entire length of the pitch. The midfielder was involved in every aspect of the game, be it tackling, winning back possession, changing flanks, passing around smoothly, or gliding past his marker with ease.

Bruno Fernandes - 6/10

Made several good runs behind the Spanish defense. The midfielder got into dangerous positions and provided numerous balls into the box.

Forwards:

Francisco Conceicao - 5/10

Last match's difference maker, Conceicao, didn't have much of an impact on the game. The winger was quiet throughout the game as Cucurella was always on his toes.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7/10

The veteran superstar dropped down at times, held the ball pretty well, but gave the ball away cheaply on quite a few occasions. Ronaldo did what he does best, being at the right place at the right time, as he brought back Portugal for the second time in the game.

Pedro Neto - 6.5/10

Neto provided the assist for Nuno Mendes' equalizer. The winger was lively down the left-hand side but was well contained by Oscar Mingueza.

Substitutes:

Ruben Neves - 6/10

Nelson Semedo - 6/10

Renato Veiga - 5/10

Rafael Leao - 6.5/10

He was lively since he was subbed in. Took on the Spanish players all by himself as he glided past the defenders one by one and made dangerous runs into the box.

Goncalo Ramos - 5/10

Diogo Jota - NA

Manager:

Roberto Martinez - 6/10

The Spaniard set his team up well to counter Spain's possession-based football with quick counter-attacking football. He stuck to his plans even after falling behind, and his players did the rest. He was spot on with his substitutions.

Spain National Football Team Player Ratings

Goalkeeper:

Unai Simon - 6/10

Didn't have much to do in the first half. Played well with the ball at his feet. Didn't have much to do in either of the goals conceded.

Defenders:

Oscar Mingueza - 6/10

The right-back kept Pedro Neto in check most of the time; however, the Portuguese winger got the better of him on certain occasions.

Robin Le Normand - 6/10

The defender emerged as the clear winner in the duel with the veteran Cristiano Ronaldo. Le Normand was quick to close down the Portuguese superstar on numerous occasions, giving him little to no time on the ball.

Dean Huijsen - 6/10

Huijsen complemented his partner quite well, played some good balls from the back, and held the defensive line to perfection.

Marc Cucurella - 5.5/10

Cucurella was lively down the left wing. His combination with Nico Williams was a treat to watch. His overlapping runs posed a threat to Portugal almost every time, as João Neves was often caught out of position. Should have done better in preventing Ronaldo's goal.

Midfielders:

Pedri - 6/10

The heart of the Spanish midfield, Pedri, once again ran the game for his team. From winning duels to providing defense-breaking passes, the midfielder was all over the pitch.

Martin Zubimendi - 7/10

Zubimendi did his job pretty well, as he broke up many Portuguese attacks by sitting at the base of the midfield. Scored the opening goal of the game.

Fabian Ruiz - 6/10

The Spaniard put in a really good shift as he was seen continuously moving up and down the length of the pitch. Had a couple of good runs into the box, which were majorly ignored by his teammates.

Forwards:

Lamine Yamal - 6/10

The youngster was lively down the right wing, dazzling up Nuno Mendes with his range of tricks. Yamal tracked back at times, too, providing extra cover for Mingueza to minimize the threat posed by Pedro Neto.

Mikel Oyarzabal - 6/10

Oyarzabal displayed intelligent positioning and excellent hold-up play to make spaces for the Spanish wingers to run in behind the Portuguese defense.

Nico Williams - 6/10

The winger wreaked havoc on the right side as he got the better of João Neves numerous times. Williams surged into the Portuguese box more than often and was full of trickery the entire game.

Substitutes:

Isco - 5/10

Mikel Merino - 5/10

Alex Baena - 5/10

Pedro Porro - 5/10

Yeremy Pino - NA

Alvaro Morata - NA

Manager:

Luis de la Fuente - 6/10

Set his team up well with a lot of ball players. His players kept the ball well and rotated possession swiftly, ensuring quick play throughout.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Nuno Mendes