Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory over Germany in Munich on Wednesday, sending Portugal to the Nations League final and ending his poor run against the Germans. Ronaldo’s 68th-minute tap-in, his record-extending 137th international goal, secured his first win over Germany after five losses. This was the 40-year-old’s longest streak against any national side without a victory. After a lackluster first half, Florian Wirtz gave Germany the lead three minutes after halftime with a brilliant header, starting and finishing a clever burst through the middle. Portugal’s Francisco Conceicao then ran 35 meters to score an impressive solo goal, equalizing with half an hour remaining. This goal paid tribute to his father Sergio, who scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s last victory over Germany in 2000. Ronaldo, having missed two good chances earlier, delivered the winning goal by converting a Nuno Mendes pass from close range. Portugal, winners of the inaugural Nations League in 2019, will now face either Spain or France in Sunday’s final at the same venue. Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva praised Ronaldo’s relentless desire to play and win. “It’s never easy — I don’t know how old he is, I think he’s like 40 — to still be hungry to go on every day,” said Silva. “We’re very happy to have him with us.” The loss is a setback for Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany, who had previously lost just one of their last 17 games. “It was a deserved defeat,” Nagelsmann told DAZN. “We gave the game away in the first half. Defensively we lacked the ruthlessness that we’ve had in recent games.” Portugal had four players who had just won the Champions League, but it was Germany who struggled to find their rhythm early. The match started 10 minutes late due to a violent storm that left hailstones scattered across the field. Aleksandar Pavlovic misplaced several passes, while Portugal’s pressing of Jonathan Tah nearly paid off as the defender appeared insecure in possession. Ronaldo, receiving a mix of cheers and boos, almost scored six minutes in, but his shot was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, playing his first match for Germany since September 2024. Wirtz Opener Germany’s best chance of the first half came to debutant Nick Woltemade 18 minutes in, but his low shot was well saved by Diogo Costa. Ronaldo was inches away from giving Portugal the lead right after halftime, but he couldn’t fully connect with a Nuno Mendes cross. Germany quickly capitalised on the miss. Wirtz, after drawing three defenders, laid off for Joshua Kimmich, who chipped it back to Wirtz. He then guided a low header into the corner of the net. Both teams made three substitutions around the 60-minute mark, but it was Roberto Martinez’s changes that made the difference. Five minutes after coming on, Conceicao evaded Robin Gosens and scored with a superb curling shot past Ter Stegen. Ronaldo then put Portugal ahead, calmly tapping in a Nuno Mendes pass to atone for his earlier misses. Munich-born Karim Adeyemi hit the crossbar with eight minutes left, but Germany couldn’t find an equalizer and will now compete in the third-place match in Stuttgart on Sunday.