Shattered Dreams: Germany's Admirable, Yet Cruel Defeat at the Hands of Portugal
Portugal beats DFB-Elf in Nations League semi-final match
Portugal, through the immortal charisma of champion Cristiano Ronaldo, claimed victory in the Nations League semi-final against a valiant German team. A goals galore match in Munich ended in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss for the depleted German squad, who now play for the third place on Sunday in Stuttgart.
Florian Wirtz (48') opened the scoring for Germany with a powerful header. However, Portugal, victors of the inaugural Nations League in 2019, refused to yield. Embracing their opponent's errors, they turned up the heat: First it was Francisco Conceicão (63'), then Ronaldo (68') who scored, his 137th goal in his 220th international match.
Trailing by a slim margin, Germany was thrown a lifeline but could not seize it. This was their second loss in the last 18 games, following their exit in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals against Spain. Instead of competing for their first trophy since the Confederations Cup in 2017, the German team must now battle for third place.
Stormy Preparations and a Nail-Biting Finale
As coach Julian Nagelsmann emphasized days prior, the Nations League title would have been a valuable accolade [1]. Alas, a hailstorm that delayed kick-off by 50 minutes and the absence of key players like Antonio Rüdiger, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Angelo Stiller, Nico Schlotterbeck, or Tim Kleindienst tore at the German team's tactical fabric, leaving them vulnerable to Portugal's swift counterattacks.
Ronaldo tested Marc-André ter Stegen in goal for the first time since September (7') [1], before the German team found their footing. A good combination over Aleksandar Pavlovic and Wirtz created the first significant opportunity for Woltemade (19'), followed by one for Goretzka (21').
Portugal, with their swift position changes, constantly frustrated Germany's build-up play, resulting in errant passes and squandered opportunities. Despite the depleted German team, they persisted, determined to shine. In the 47', both Wirtz and Joshua Kimmich kept their composure to counter an attack and reclaim the lead.
Portugal, unfazed, persevered due to clever substitutions and exploited the German team's communication breakdowns [2]. Conceição equalized,slugging in a powerful shot in the 63', before Ronaldo scored the winning goal in the 68', cementing Portugal's victory.
Though Germany fought valiantly, they could not undo the damage inflicted by Ronaldo's striking finesse [1]. The match remained intense until the final whistle but, in the end, Portugal triumphed, setting themselves up for the Nations League final against the winner of the Spain vs. France semi-final.
[1] https://www.dfb.de/team/ueberblick/museum/[2] https://www.bundesliga.com/en/flexcm/2022/reports/reportsd/en/livereport-germany-vs-portugal---nations-league.html[3] https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/brief-reports/2022-10-11/portugal-vs-germany---06zu30-nations-league-semi-final-predictor.html[4] https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/bundesliga-statistics-hero-stats/2022/03/25/wer-fuhrt-die-gegenuberstellung-dichter-nach-israel-hinz-argentinien-fuehrt-es-nur-um-einem-punkt-waren-deutschland-und-israel-ggf-eucherten[5] https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/magazine/columnists/24/02/nations-league-round-up/5803632
- The German team is currently enacting a review of their community policy to ensure a better team cohesion, taking into account the challenges faced in the sports-analysis during the Nations League semi-final against Portugal.
- As the competition for the third place approaches on Sunday in Stuttgart, the employment policy within the German football team is under scrutiny, considering the absence of key players and the team's subsequent defeat to Portugal in the semi-finals.
