UEFA Nations League final: Ronaldo leads his side to another international trophy as Portugal beat Netherlands 1-0

What's the story?

Portugal defeated Netherlands 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League finals as Gonçalo Guedes' goal was enough to seal the title for them.

In case you didn’t know...

Cristiano Ronaldo has now led this Portugal side to 2 trophies in a span of just 3 years. The five time ballon d'Or winner led this side's Euro 2016 triumph after they defeated France, 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Eder in the extra time. Ronaldo finished the tournament with a Silver Boot for his 3 goals and 3 assists.

The heart of the matter

The host nation were touted as favorites to lift the trophy after the World Cup winners France were failed to qualify for the semi-final and they did not disappoint. After winning the Euro 2016 in France, this side has won their second major silverware in a span of just three years.

Portugal swept past the Netherlands to win the UEFA Nations League as the scoreline read 1-0. Bernardo Silva set up Gonçalo Guedes who beat Jasper Cillessen to secure the title for his side.

The Juventus ace moved from center to the wings in order to open up the space for Guedes and Silva to exploit.

Cristiano Ronaldo had netted a brilliant hat-trick in the 3-1 semi-final win over Switzerland to set up a final showdown with Netherlands for the title. However, he was kept relatively quiet on this occasion by Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt. Ronaldo previously expressed his wishes to win his second trophy for his nation and he has now done so.

It was Valencia's star man Guedes who took the matter into his own hands as he blasted one home from the edge of the box after exchanging passes with Bernardo Silva. Taking nothing away from the strike, the Barcelona keeper, Jasper Cillessen may feel he could have done better there to prevent that one.

Both the teams had their share of chances with Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo keeping things lively for the Navigators meanwhile Memphis Depay and Marten de Roon almost scored for the Dutch if not for Rui Patricio. The Dutch just lacked penetration into the final third.

What's next?

Portugal return to Euro 2020 qualifying with a trip to Serbia in September. Whereas Netherlands will face a crunch clash against rivals Germany for the Euro qualifiers.