Portugal beat Spain in a nail-biting UEFA Nations League Final by 2-2 and then won the title after a 5-3 victory in the shootout. Spain went ahead early thanks to Zubimendi and Oyarzabal, but Portugal made up the difference through goals from Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo. Additional time did not solve the problem, so penalties were needed. It was Diogo Costa who saved the crucial penalty for Portugal, and afterwards, Rúben Neves finished Portugal’s winning spot-kick to make Portugal champions following a tense game for both teams.
Spain’s Tactical And Defensive Shortcomings
The Spanish team had trouble holding its defense together, allowing easy goals to happen at key times. Having gone ahead 2-1 before halftime, poor marking from the team saw Ronaldo tie the game early after the break. Several fouls by Pedro Porro and Robin Le Normand, one of which was a yellow card, affected their flow in the match. Despite what he did in extra time, his substitutes failed to help their team. Even though Isco and Yamal stood out at times, reliance on long shots and poor finishing hurt Spain greatly during the final moments of extra time.
What Spain Could Have Done Differently
Throughout the second half and beyond, Spain had many opportunities to win the game. Although Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Yeremy Pino got some chances, they did not have the quality to make the crucial difference in such a big match. During extra time, many fouls and unusual shot attempts by players revealed that they were not taking control of the game. Better discipline and choosing more of the right passes in boxing out might have made the difference. Using the ball more wisely and improving the defense during the last few minutes could have prevented the game from going to a penalty shootout.
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