Portugal vs Spain National Football Team Lineups: How Diogo Costa Sealed a Nations League Thriller

Nations League finals rarely settle anything cleanly, and this one didn’t either. Spain took the lead, Portugal answered twice, and after 120 minutes of end-to-end football neither side could find a winner. The portugal national football team vs spain national football team lineups told the story of a rematch between two European heavyweights who traded blows until penalties decided it.

The Lead

Portugal beat Spain 2-2 (5-3 on penalties) in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Final at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in front of 65,852 fans. Martín Zubimendi opened the scoring for the holders in the 21st minute, Nuno Mendes leveled five minutes later, Mikel Oyarzabal restored Spain’s lead right before halftime, and Cristiano Ronaldo forced extra time with a 61st-minute volley.

Neither side could break through across 30 additional minutes, sending the final to a shootout. Diogo Costa saved Álvaro Morata’s spot kick, and Rúben Neves converted the decisive fifth penalty to hand Portugal their second Nations League crown, adding to their 2019 title. It was also a rematch of last year’s Euro 2024 knockout stage, and it played out with the same razor-thin margins.

Match Overview

Core Match Statistics

Spain Dominated the Ball, Portugal Made It Count

Spain’s near-two-thirds share of possession is the headline number, and it fits their identity under Luis de la Fuente — patient build-up through Pedri and Fabián Ruiz, with Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams stretching the width. But territory didn’t translate into a clean scoreline advantage.

• Spain had more shots and more shots on target, yet still needed a shootout to stay level.
• Portugal’s directness, especially through Nuno Mendes and Pedro Neto on the counter, meant fewer touches produced comparable danger.

Set Pieces and Physical Duels

• Portugal committed more fouls (16 to 14), a sign of a team happy to break up Spain’s rhythm through midfield.
• Card counts were close (three to four), suggesting a hard-fought but not overly chippy final for a match of this magnitude.

Period-by-Period Analysis

First Half

• Spain broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when Zubimendi turned in a low ball that Yamal had drilled across the box, exploiting hesitant Portuguese marking.
• Portugal answered almost immediately: Nuno Mendes drove a low finish inside the far post in the 26th minute after good work from Ronaldo in the build-up.
• Spain reasserted control before the break — a Pedri pass sent Oyarzabal through to clip home Spain’s second in first-half stoppage time, sending the sides in with Spain ahead.

Second Half and Extra Time

• Ronaldo dragged Portugal level again in the 61st minute with a volley, his second international goal against Spain and first since a hat-trick against them at the 2018 World Cup.
• Both benches emptied as the match wore on — Roberto Martínez brought on Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Ramos, and Diogo Jota for fresh legs, while de la Fuente turned to Isco and Morata to try to find a winner.
• Neither side broke through in extra time, with Yamal — heavily shadowed by Mendes for most of the night — subbed off before the shootout without ever finding real space.

Portugal Player Notes

Cristiano Ronaldo — Started up front and scored Portugal’s second equalizer with a 61st-minute volley, his 138th international goal and a direct response to going behind twice. He was withdrawn late in extra time for Gonçalo Ramos.

Nuno Mendes — The left-back scored Portugal’s first equalizer and, more importantly, nullified Yamal for almost the entire match, a tactical assignment that shaped the whole final.

Diogo Costa — Made the decisive save of the shootout, denying Morata to give Portugal control of the penalties. He conceded twice in normal time but was untested for long stretches given Spain’s low shot-on-target return relative to their possession share.

Rúben Neves — Came on as a substitute and stepped up to strike the winning penalty, low into the corner, to clinch the title.

Spain Player Notes

Martín Zubimendi — Opened the scoring with a close-range finish in the 21st minute and was named Player of the Match despite Spain falling short, reflecting his control of Spain’s midfield tempo throughout.

Mikel Oyarzabal — Scored Spain’s second goal from a Pedri assist right before halftime, continuing a habit of showing up in finals after his Euro 2024 winner against England.

Lamine Yamal — Provided the assist for Zubimendi’s opener but was largely shut down afterward by Nuno Mendes, a quiet night by his standards in a match this big.

Álvaro Morata — Introduced later as an attacking option but will be remembered for the missed penalty that put Portugal in control of the shootout.

Statistical Leaders

Why Portugal Won

Nuno Mendes Solved the Yamal Problem

Assigning a marker to shadow the tournament’s breakout star is one thing; doing it for 120 minutes without conceding a real chance is another. Mendes’s defensive work freed up Portugal’s shape and doubled as an attacking outlet, and his goal was a direct reward for pushing forward anyway.

Efficiency Over Volume

Portugal converted a much higher share of their limited touches into genuine threats, a pattern that held right through the shootout — five clean penalties from five different takers.

A Cool Head in the Shootout

Diogo Costa’s save on Morata was the single biggest moment of the match. Portugal’s takers — Ramos, Vitinha, Fernandes, Mendes, and Neves — were composed under pressure in a way Spain, needing to match every kick, ultimately weren’t.

Why Spain Lost

Territory Without a Knockout Blow

Spain controlled 62% of possession and out-shot Portugal, but couldn’t turn that dominance into a third goal that would have ended the contest before extra time.

The Morata Miss

A shootout comes down to small margins, and Morata’s saved penalty was the difference. It’s a cruel way for a tournament to end for a team that was, by the underlying numbers, the better side for large stretches.

Historical Context

Portugal and Spain have now met five times with a 1-2 record in Spain’s favor and five draws across their head-to-head history, including a memorable 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup where Ronaldo scored a hat-trick.

This final also arrived just eight days after the Allianz Arena hosted the Champions League final, won by Paris Saint-Germain — a squad that featured four of Portugal’s starters (Ramos, João Neves, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes) and Spain’s Fabián Ruiz, meaning several players were walking back onto the same pitch with a second trophy on the line inside a week and a half.

What This Means for Portugal

• A second Nations League title cements this generation as consistent winners on the biggest stages, following last summer’s near-miss at Euro 2024.
• Ronaldo, at 40, continues delivering in finals, which matters heading into 2026 World Cup qualifying.
• The Mendes-on-Yamal blueprint gives Roberto Martínez a proven answer for elite wide threats.

What This Means for Spain

• Losing on penalties after dominating possession is a familiar pattern to guard against — chance conversion, not control, decided this final.
• De la Fuente will need alternate creative outlets if opponents commit a defender specifically to shutting down Yamal.
• The squad’s overall talent level and recent Euro 2024 title mean this loss is unlikely to shake confidence heading into World Cup qualifying.

Key Lessons From the Final

• Individual matchups (Mendes vs. Yamal) can swing a final more than overall possession share.
• Shootout composure is its own skill, separate from open-play quality.
• Bringing on fresh legs late (Ramos, Leão, Jota for Portugal) matters when a match stretches to 120 minutes.
• Set-piece and foul discipline stayed close between two elite sides — margins at this level are thin everywhere.
• A single defensive lapse (the mix-up before Zubimendi’s goal) can undo a possession advantage in seconds.
• Star power in a shootout isn’t a guarantee — Morata’s miss shows even proven finishers can fail under that specific pressure.

FAQs

Who won the Portugal vs Spain Nations League final? 

Portugal won 5-3 on penalties after the match finished 2-2 following extra time.

Who scored for Portugal? 

Nuno Mendes (26′) and Cristiano Ronaldo (61′) scored in normal time; Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes, and Rúben Neves all converted in the shootout.

Who scored for Spain? 

Martín Zubimendi (21′) and Mikel Oyarzabal (45′) scored in normal time; Mikel Merino, Álex Baena, and Isco converted in the shootout, while Álvaro Morata missed.

Who was named Player of the Match? 

Martín Zubimendi of Spain, despite the loss, for his goal and midfield control.

Where was the final played? 

The Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, in front of 65,852 fans.

Was this Portugal’s first Nations League title? 

No — it was their second, after also winning the inaugural edition in 2019.

Conclusion

Spain had more of the ball and more shots, but Portugal had the sharper moments when it mattered — an equalizer through a marker turned scorer, a talismanic volley from Ronaldo, and nerveless penalty-taking capped by a Diogo Costa save. In a final this tight, efficiency and composure under pressure outweighed control of possession.