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09.06.2019 » Portugal 1-0 Netherlands. The first UEFA Nations League title!
Portugal made history as they won the first-ever UEFA Nations League tournament, after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in this Sunday's final at the Estadio do Dragão. Gonçalo Guedes powerful strike at the edge of the box in the hour mark was enough to give Portugal its first trophy since winning the 2016 European Championship. The revamped Dutch side aimed to seek revenge after failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 European Championship, even though most of the best online betting sites were already suggesting that Netherlands were slightly underdogs prior to tonight's final. Koeman's men were also hoping to grab hold of the title to end their trophyless drought since the 1988 European championship. Playing at home and with the EURO 2004 final against Greece still fresh in a lot of people's memories, Ronaldo and his teammates had other plans in store...
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs Netherlands
Portugal 1-0 Netherlands - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Netherlands:
Netherlands had possession, but Portugal had the chances
Cristiano Ronaldo, who came off from a hat-trick in the semifinals against Switzerland, was largely quiet but managed to keep the Dutch defensive pairing Virgil van Dijk and Mathhijs de Ligt busy, which led the Valencia winger Guedes to sneak-in and provided the winner of the match.
A much forgettable first-half in Porto saw the Netherlands side keep 55% possession, but couldn't deliver a single shot against the opposition. The hosts, on the other hand, had 12 efforts but didn't finish the job behind the net.
Portugal looked threatening with Bruno Fernandes and Bernado Silva being involved with the play-making task, while Cristiano Ronaldo's presence was the biggest threat itself for the opposition side.
Bruno Fernandes gave away several chances in the first half, with the goalkeeper Cillessen blocking the shots around the post, while Bernardo Silva effort curled just over the bar.
Captain Ronaldo also tried his luck on goal during the last stages of the half by picking up the ball on the left, cutting inside and smoothly hitting a low shot that Cillessen grabbed hold off.
Guedes became the hero of the night
After the second-half, the final of the tournament started to gain momentum and pace by both the sides on the pitch.
Dutch midfielder Geoginio Wijnaldum saw his effort stopped by the goalkeeper Rui Patricio, but the deadlock was broken by Gonçalo Guedes at the other end of the pitch, with the help of Manchester City's playmaker Bernardo Silva's self-less assist.
Ronald Koeman's substitution of replacing Steven Bergwijn for Donny van de Beek, one of the important players for Ajax's run to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, meant his side was going for the attack but the plan flopped, thanks to an early goal from the home side.
The only biggest chance the Oranje had was the header of Memphis Depay that was denied by the Portuguese goalkeeper, due to his intelligent positioning near the goal post.
During the critical moment of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo demanded his teammates to keep concentrated, as the captain turned into a manager on-the-pitch to make sure his side remained focused in the most clinical stage of the game.
The final effort by Daley Blind's cross into the dangerous penalty box was the last opportunity for the Dutch side, which was eventually cleared by the man of the match, defender Ruben Dias. The whistle would eventually blow and fans in red began to celebrate at the Estádio do Dragão.
Fernandos Santos added another title for his country, while captain fantastic Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the inaugural UEFA Nations League trophy.
Portugal always looked like a threat on the break, were the better side on the night and definitely deserved the victory against the Netherlands.
Author: Ali Mangi
Portugal line-up vs Netherlands:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Raphael Guerreiro, Rúben Dias, Fonte, Nélson Semedo
Midfielders: Danilo, William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva
Attackers: Gonçalo Guedes, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Portugal
|
vs
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Netherlands
|
1 |
Goals |
0 |
18 |
Shots |
4 |
7 |
Shots on goal |
1 |
10 |
Corner kicks |
4 |
6 |
Fouls commited |
13 |
0 |
Yellow cards |
2 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
43% |
Ball possession |
57% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus is for the International Champions Cup on July 21 of 2019, against Tottenham. You can watch Juventus vs Tottenham, Poland vs Israel, Spain vs Sweden, Hungary vs Wales, Belgium vs Scotland, and Germany vs Estonia, all matches provided from our football live game pages.
Juventus next game:
Juventus vs Tottenham kick-off time (21-07-2019):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 19:30
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 18:30
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 17:00
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 13:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 13:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 12:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 08:30
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 07:30
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 04:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / skysports.com / espn.com / yahoo.com
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