Portugal have won the inaugural UEFA
Nations League tournament beating the Netherlands 1-0 in final. Goncalo Guedes scored
the winner early in the second half to give Portugal their first trophy since
the 2016 European Championship.
The hosts' victory in UEFA's newest
competition denied the Netherlands its first trophy since the 1988 European
Championship. The revamped Dutch team was seeking some redemption after failing
to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship.
Cristiano Ronaldo, coming off a hat-trick
in the semifinals, wasn't much of a factor against Dutch defender Virgil
van Dijk in the matchup of likely contenders for the player
of the year award, but Guedes couldn't be stopped when he hit a
powerful right-footed shot from outside the area in the 60th minute at
the Estadio do Dragao in Porto. Guedes started the build-up
to the goal with a pass to Bernardo Silva, receiving the ball back at
the top of the area and firing a firm low shot past Dutch goalkeeper
Jasper Cillessen, who touched the ball but couldn't parry it away.
Portugal had lost the 2004 European Championship final at home to
Greece, but this time the team got to celebrate in front of their fans after a
scrappy match. The
Netherlands kept pressing but Portugal was able to hold on to clinch the first
title in the competition created by UEFA to give national teams more
meaningful games and reduce the number of friendlies.
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