Portugal won UEFA Nations League 2019

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.

Germany won FIFA Confederations Cup 2017

Germany survived a whirlwind assault by Chile and capitalized on an awful mistake by the South Americans to claim 1-0 victory in a pulsating, bad tempered Confederations Cup Final. Germany won the title for the first time after Lars Stindl scored the only goal in the 20th minute when Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz gave the ball away on the edge of his own area.

Chile, playing with their trademark high octane style and driven forward by another relentless display by Arturo Vidal, dominated the match but were let down by poor finishing. A dramatic game featured missed chances, defensive howlers, scuffles and two video reviews, one producing a highly controversial outcome in the second half. Chile defender Gonzalo Jara elbowed Timo Werner by the touchline and Serbian referee Milorad Mazic, alerted by the video assistants, let him off with a yellow card instead of a red.

Shortly afterwards, Mazic turned down Chilean appeals for a penalty, stood by his original decision after another review incident and booked Eduardo Vargas for drawing an imaginary television screen. It was a remarkable achievement for Germany to lift the trophy with a young, experimental squad, although it could also be a bad omen as no team has ever won the World Cup after winning the Confederations Cup the year before.

On the other hand, Award list is also dominated by Germans. Julian Draxler won the Golden Ball Award, Claudio Bravo from Chile won the Golden Glove award and Timo Werner won the Golden Boot award. The young Germany team also won the FIFA Fair Play Award. On the other end, Germany beat Spain 1-0 to win the European under-21 championship.

Sporting Moments of 2016

Unpredictability has perhaps been 2016 most consistent element and it has not been any different in the world of sports and athletics. Underdogs Leicester City won the English Premier League Football Championship in an astounding season. Serena Williams clinched 22 career Grand Slam singles to tie up for second on the all-time list with Steffi Graf. Nico Rosberg shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from Formula One racing after his maiden Championship Triumph.

Serena Williams celebrates winning her women’s singles final match against Germany Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. Her total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles marks the joint record for the most Major wins by a tennis player in the Open Era. Portugal won the Euro 2016 Championship, their first major trophy.

Leicester City Premier League title dream became reality earlier this year as they completed one of the greatest ever sporting achievements. The Foxes Premier League campaign has captivated fans in the provincial English city as well as sports fans worldwide. Serbia Novak Djokovic won his first ever French Open title in 2016 after defeating Britain Andy Murray. Usain Bolt won Gold Medals in 100m, 200m and relay in his third consecutive Olympic appearance.

British Formula One driver Nico Rosberg who represented Mercedes stunned the sporting world when he announced his retirement on 2^nd December just five days after the 31 year old became the sport’s world Champion for the first time in his entire career.