Why Spain Should Regret Their Defeat in the Nations League Final Against Portugal

Although the headlines are likely to celebrate Cristiano Ronaldo, a 40-year-old, adding yet another trophy to his collection, the reality is that the Portuguese captain had a rather subdued performance during the Nations League final on Sunday night.

His timely equaliser highlighted that he still possesses the goalscoring instinct that has defined his illustrious career. However, this was his sole shot on target and indeed his only touch in the Spain penalty area during the 88 minutes he played before being substituted for Goncalo Ramos.

Throughout the match, Ronaldo only managed 22 touches, and his pass accuracy of 75% was notably the lowest of any player on the field.

While Portugal may have faltered, Pedri’s pivotal role for Spain deserves more attention.

Pedri Shines Again On The Big Stage

The Barcelona midfielder once again stepped up when it mattered, starkly contrasting with his club teammate Lamine Yamal. He achieved an impressive 52 successful passes from 52 attempts, earning him a flawless completion rate.

la Roja also featured three players who notched over 100 passes: Marc Cucurella (106), Dean Huijsen (123), and Martin Zubimendi (118).

For Portugal, Vitinha topped the stats with 88 touches, completing an impressive 76 of 81 passes for a completion rate of 93.8%. He also made 14 touches in the final third, only two behind teammate Nuno Mendes, who effectively kept Lamine under control throughout the match.

Disappointment for Lamine Yamal

Expectations were high for the 17-year-old prodigy to deliver memorable moments, but spectators were left disappointed.

His solitary created chance epitomised his lack of attacking impact, as Mendes managed to contain him with ease, matching him for pace and positioning whenever Lamine attempted to take him on.

His struggles showcased excellence in defensive play, effectively limiting Spain’s offensive options, which largely had to be generated from the opposing flank dominated by Cucurella and Nico Williams.

Interestingly, only Cucurella recorded more tackles attempted, won, and interceptions than Lamine, hinting that manager Luis de la Fuente might have wanted to assign a more defensive role to the young star. Furthermore, Lamine was involved in 17 total duels—more than any other player on the field—suggesting the manager had an alternative plan in mind. However, few would have anticipated Lamine losing possession a staggering 21 times, the highest of all players.

Questions for Luis de la Fuente

Post-match, de la Fuente addressed fans, providing justification for his decision to substitute the teenager.

“We wanted to inject some energy into the game,” he clarified. “The entry of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us the energy and control that we had lost, along with the finishing and shooting we needed.”

“He (Lamine) was fatigued due to his recent commitments since Thursday with little downtime. It has been an arduous year for him. At just 17 years old, we must manage him responsibly.”

“We felt it was the right time to replace him with another player who could bring an extra boost.”

However, de la Fuente did not elaborate on why the talented Pau Cubarsi remained on the bench, nor why he opted to deploy Oscar Mingueza at right-back, considering Mingueza struggled to recover defensively when he advanced up the pitch.

Spain Dominates the Game

Despite holding 61.4% possession over 120 minutes of play, Portugal deserves recognition for their resilience in pulling back the game twice and stifling Spain effectively.

In terms of total dribbles (19) and a 50.5% win rate in duels, Portugal maintained an edge, yet Spain excelled in nearly every other category.

With 16 shots compared to Portugal’s seven (their lowest in a 2024/25 Nations League match), 755 successful passes (against Portugal’s 441), and 13 tackles and interceptions compared to Portugal’s eight, Spain naturally claimed victory.

While aesthetically pleasing play (812 passes set a record for Spain in this season’s tournament) and possession can fascinate spectators, it doesn’t always lead to victories.

Ultimately, although Ronaldo’s contribution appeared minimal apart from his second equaliser, that moment proved crucial for his team’s success.

Portugal’s Missed Opportunity

Having enjoyed such a lengthy career, Ronaldo is acutely aware that success comes from playing to one’s strengths while inhibiting the opposition’s strategies. On this occasion, Spain failed to exploit a Portugal side vulnerable at times—especially after twice taking the lead in the match.

In fact, Spain had previously been undefeated in their last 13 Nations League games after going ahead and boasted an impeccable record of W5 D1 L0 when leading at half-time in the 2024/25 Nations League. Thus, they will surely be left to rue missed chances in this encounter.