Germany 1–2 Portugal Player Ratings: Strikes from Conceicao and Ronaldo Send Portugal to Their 2nd Ever Nations League Final

Germany locked horns with Portugal in the first semifinal of the UEFA Nations League on 4th June 2025 at 9:00 PM GMT at the Allianz Arena. Both teams played an open game, as the play happened to be from end to end. Portugal started well as they enjoyed a lot of possession in the first few minutes, but Germany gradually grew back into the game. Cristiano Ronaldo came close in the 7th minute, but his tame effort was collected well by Ter Stegen. Diogo Costa was the busier of the two goalkeepers, as he made two brilliant saves from the debutant Nick Woltemade and Leon Goretzka in the 20th and 22nd minutes, respectively.

It wasn't before the second half when the floodgates opened. In the 48th minute, Wirtz opened the scoring after calmly heading in a lobbed ball from Kimmich from outside the penalty box. Shortly after, Portugal equalized through Francisco Conceciao in the 64th minute, as the youngster came off the bench to score a world-class goal past the diving German goalkeeper's right hand. Portugal started to press the German midfielders more fiercely, which resulted in the loss of possession in important parts of the pitch. In the 68th minute, Mendes played a neat one-two with Fernandes, which set him through, and calmly passed it to his captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in the perfect position to tap it home. Portugal came from behind to win against Germany after 25 years, as they sealed their place in the finals of the 2025 UEFA Nations League.

Karim Adeyemi came close in the 81st minute, but he could only manage to hit the post on Costa's right-hand side. Tempers started to flare up in the 83rd minute as Niclas Fullkrug and Bruno Fernandes had to be separated by their respective teammates. Portugal held out quite well in the dying minutes to send themselves into another Nations League Final after 2019. Here are the Germany national football team vs Portugal national football team player ratings.

Germany National Football Team Player Ratings vs Portugal

Goalkeeper:

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - 6/10

Ter Stegen made a couple of really good saves in the first half but was majorly untested in the second half. The German goalkeeper played well with the ball at his feet. He came up with a brilliant double-save in the dying minutes to deny Portugal stretching their lead to three goals in the game.

Defenders:

Waldemar Anton - 6/10

The centre-back put in a couple of clean tackles to stop Pedro Neto from getting into dangerous positions. Anton held the defensive line well and made some good clearances too.

Jonathan Tah - 6/10

At the heart of the defense, Jonathan Tah put in a good shift. The defender was caught out of position at times and got a yellow card later in the game due to an unnecessary foul in a dangerous area.

Robin Koch - 6/10

Koch enjoyed much on the ball, as he played a couple of exquisite long passes over the Portugal defense.

Midfielders:

Joshua Kimmich - 6/10

The midfield general of Germany, Joshua Kimmich, was instrumental behind Germany's first goal of the match as he provided a lovely assist to Wirtz.

Leon Goretzka - 6/10

Goretzka used his physicality quite well in the midfield, as he kept the likes of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes in check.

Aleksandar Pavlovic - 6/10

Pavlovic put in a good shift in the midfield alongside his partner Goretzka. The midfielder was quick to retrieve the balls in the middle of the park and was instrumental in providing quality balls into the final third.

Maximilian Mittelstadt - 6/10

Mittelstadt was lively throughout the game, as he constantly went forward and tracked back at the right time. The midfielder gave little to no space to Francisco Trincao to do his usual trickery.

Leroy Sane - 6/10

Sane put in a great shift on the right side, as he constantly put pressure on Portugal's left-back, Nuno Mendes.

Florian Wirtz - 6.5/10

Wirtz orchestrated the game quite well with his ball possession, passing around at the right time, and found pockets of space in between the Portugal defense quite frequently. He scored the opening goal of the match as he neatly headed a lobbed ball from Kimmich past the helpless Portuguese goalkeeper.

Forwards:

Nick Woltemade - 6/10

Woltemade fared well on his debut, as the youngster used his pace quite well to get ahead of the Portuguese centre-backs at times.

Substitutes:

Robin Gosens - 6/10

Serge Gnabry - 6/10

Niclas Fullkrug - 5/10

Felix Nmecha - 5/10

Karim Adiyemi - 5/10

Manager:

Julian Nagelsmann - 6/10

Nagelsmann came to the game with his usual three-man at the back. Joshua Kimmich and Mittelstadt were deputed with bombarding the Portuguese flanks, which provided dividends as Germany threatened a lot from the wide areas. The German manager pushed his players well and made quick substitutions to ensure that no energy was lost, especially in the midfield. However, his team lost concentration in the later stages of the second half, which led to the two goals being conceded in no time.

Portugal National Football Team Player Ratings vs Germany

Goalkeeper:

Diogo Costa - 7/10

The Portuguese keeper was tested thrice, as he calmly collected a weak effort from Leon Goretzka inside the box, but put in a good save for the second one from the German midfielder. He also stopped the youngster Woltemade from scoring on his debut.

Defenders:

Joao Neves - 6.5/10

Played out of position defensively but adapted to an advanced midfielder role when Portugal advanced with the ball. Neves made some good tackles on the right against Mittelstadt to prevent the wingback from providing dangerous crosses into the box. The young midfielder moved the ball around quickly and was smooth in possession.

Ruben Dias - 6.5/10

The centre-back stood his ground as he dealt with several good German crosses efficiently. Dias held the defensive line well and caught Woltemade offside at times.

Goncalo Inacio - 6/10

Inacio supported his senior partner quite well, as he put in his foot at a time or two to deflect the stinging shots from the German players.

Nuno Mendes - 7.5/10

Mendes showed the determination to run forward with the ball but was slow to track back at times, leaving acres of space for Kimmich to exploit on the right. The left back was instrumental in providing the assist for the match-winning goal by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Midfielders:

Bernardo Silva - 5/10

Silva played around the park quite well, as he regulated the flow of play beautifully for Portugal from the heart of the midfield.

Ruben Neves - 5.5/10

Neves had an okayish game in the midfield, as the veteran midfielder was pressed well at the centre of the park. He gave away several fouls in the midfield before being subbed off in the second half.

Bruno Fernandes - 6.5/10

Fernandes played his usual game, as he got into dangerous positions in and around the German penalty box through his darting runs. The midfielder was instrumental in setting up the goal, which gave Portugal the lead.

Forwards:

Francisco Trincao - 6/10

The right-winger tried his usual trickery, but was largely kept at bay by the German wingback Mittelstadt.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7.5/10

The veteran forward dropped deep at times to help his midfielders get. Ronaldo was positioned well to tap home Mendes' assist to give Portugal the lead.

Pedro Neto - 6/10

Neto used his pace quite well to get past the German centre-backs. The winger was lively throughout the game as he made several darting runs, providing Portugal with that added advantage.

Substitutes:

Nelson Semedo - 6/10

Francisco Conceicao - 8/10

Conceicao came off the bench to bring Portugal back into the game with an exquisite finish past ter Stegen. The young winger took on the German defenders quite well and kept them on their toes.

Vitinha - 6/10

Diogo Jota - NA

Came late and didn't create much impact.

João Palhinha - NA

Finished off the game.

Manager:

Roberto Martinez - 7/10

Martinez set up his team purely based on counter-attack, as he used his two wingbacks - Mendes and João Neves quite well to exploit Germany's centre-backs. He quickly changed his players after going behind, as the substitutes changed the game on its head. Inspired substitutions and players with an immense burst of pace did the trick for his side.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Francisco Conceciao