25/03/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | MAR 25, 2025

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Ronaldo goes from zero to hero as Portugal thumb Denmark

PORTUGAL beat Denmark 5-3 on aggregate to reach the Nations League semifinals yesterday, winning a pulsating second leg 5-2 after extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty but later scored a crucial goal, before Francisco Trincao’s late double set Roberto Martinez’s men on course for the semis. Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel stared down Ronaldo’s stuttering run-up to save a fluffed spot kick on six minutes, diving left and Lukaku helps Belgium retain League A spot BELGIUM retained their place in League A of the Nations League with a stunning 3-0 home win over Ukraine yesterday as Romelu Lukaku’s late double helped them secure a 4-3 aggregate victory. Ukraine had a two-goal lead in the tie after their comeback win in the first leg and looked set to hold on to their advantage as a dominant Belgium struggled to find a way past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for much of the match. But Belgium managed to break the deadlock in the 70th minute when substitute Maxim De Cuyper scored with a first-time effort off a quick pass from Jeremy Doku. Lukaku then made it 2-0 to level the tie with a terrific volley from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross five minutes later, before Ukraine almost restored their lead as Artem Dovbyk’s header was saved by Matz Sels, who replaced Thibaut Courtois in goal for Belgium. Lukaku sealed their aggregate victory in the 86th minute as he netted his second goal with a low shot past Lunin, who had pulled off a couple of key saves but could not prevent the Napoli striker scoring his 88th international goal. In Dublin, Ireland fought back to beat Bulgaria 2-1 and secure their place in League B with a 4-2 aggregate win. Bulgaria grabbed the lead when Valentin Antov pounced on a loose ball to fire home from close range on the half-hour mark in what was the visitors’ first attempt on goal. Ireland went ahead on aggregate again as Evan Ferguson played a neat one-two with Finn Azaz before firing into the top corner, while substitute Adam Idah secured the win for the hosts in the 84th minute. Earlier in the day, Greece earned a 3-0 win at Scotland to clinch a place in League A next season after coming back from a 1-0 defeat in the first leg. Turkey sealed promotion with a commanding 3-0 victory over Hungary, completing a 6-1 aggregate triumph, while Serbia will remain in the top tier, defeating Austria 2-0 for a 3-1 aggregate win. Georgia comfortably retained their League B spot with a dominant 6-1 win over Armenia, sealing a 9-1 aggregate victory. Kosovo earned promotion overcoming Iceland 3-1 and 5-2 on aggregate. Adam Gnezda Cerin’s extra-time goal handed Slovenia a narrow 1-0 win over Slovakia to remain in League B. – Reuters

comfortably holding the ball. But Portugal eventually pushed the tie to extra time at 3-2 on the night, despite Denmark twice edging ahead on aggregate. Portugal first drew level on aggregate when Joachim Andersen’s panicked clearance looped horribly into his own goal in the 38th minute. But, unmarked at a corner, Rasmus Kristensen’s cool header put Denmark back in front overall on 56 minutes. Ronaldo redeemed himself for his penalty error, pouncing on a rebound to

score with 18 minutes left, only for Christian Eriksen to then silence the home crowd by tapping into an open goal four minutes later. Playing in his home Sporting Lisbon stadium, substitute winger Trincao then sent the game to extra-time with a late, left-footed strike. Shortly after the restart, he threaded his second goal through a sea of players to put Portugal in the driving seat. Trincao was then involved in the build-up for Goncalo Ramos’s clincher in a full-blooded encounter.

Martinez expressed happiness with his team’s qualification after yesterday’s significant victory, compensating for their first-leg loss. “We delivered a completely different performance from the first leg, we showed the ability to analyse the match and create opportunities, scoring five goals is not an easy task, we were a smart and superior team in all aspects,” Martinez said. “The atmosphere in the first leg was great, but today was even better, football is not always about winning

comfortably like 3-0, but about fighting, hard work, and commitment.” “The team showcased the values of the Portuguese people, with resilience, strong character, and a lot of quality in crucial moments, the national team can feel proud, and now we need to focus on the semifinals. “There are no easy matches in the tournament, we saw Spain and France qualify through penalties, we managed to take advantage of our fans’ support, they played a significant role in the victory.” – AFP/Agencies

Germany survive Azzurri scare Nagelsmann leads host into Nations League semifinals after blowing three-goal lead G ERMANY survived a spirited second half fightback from Italy, letting a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 in Dortmund yesterday, before reaching the Nations League Giacomo Raspadori then converted a stoppage time penalty to give Italy a glimmer of hope. The result not only secured Germany a first-ever Nations League semifinal spot, where they will face Portugal, but it means the remainder of the tournament will be held on German soil, in Stuttgart and Munich in June. show it throughout the game. “I’m going home with an understanding of what we’re capable of, but it’s also nice that we’ve got a bit more to do,” he said. “I think the first half was the best we’ve had (under him as coach),” Nagelsmann added. “We were great with the ball and aggressive defensively and scored 3 goals.”

semifinals 5-4 on aggregate. A first-half Joshua Kimmich masterclass, with a penalty and two assists for Jamal Musiala and Tim Kleindienst, had Germany 3-0 up and cruising at the break. However, injury-hit Italy kicked into gear in the second half, Moise Kean scoring a double to rattle the hosts. Italy looked on course to level the scores when they were awarded a penalty with 73 minutes gone, but it was overturned by VAR.

Despite the second-half scare, the victory continues Germany’s resurgence under Julian Nagelsmann. Germany’s only loss in their past 17 matches came in extra-time at Euro 2024 against eventual

But the second half saw Germany surrender the three goal advantage in a meek manner as Nagelsmann made a lot of controversial substitutions. He explained that it was to manage their workload. “In the second half we had to make changes because not everyone was able to play for 90 minutes. We conceded the first, then the second, then there was doubt. “The biggest problem was that we played too many passes backwards, unlike the first half. I don’t want to talk too much about the second half.” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti insists the side that fought back from 3-0 down is “the Italy that everyone expects.’ “We build from evaluating what happened. Games give you responses,” the coach told RAI Sport . “Clearly, in the first half we weren’t determined enough to play football and give the team the chance to express itself, individually or collectively. “Then we recognised with our conscience that we had to do more and we saw the Italy that everyone expects. The team had this fierce fightback and deserved a little more luck.” Italy conceded a truly embarrassing goal from Musiala, as Gianluigi Donnarumma and the Italy players all turned their backs on the quick Kimmich corner, allowing the tap-in from six yards.

champions Spain in the quarterfinals. Nagelsmann said Germany “learned lessons for our development” from the game, adding “we know how well we can play football – but we have to

Germany’s Yann Bisseck (left) in action with Italy’s Lorenzo Lucca during their Nations League quarterfinal second leg match. – REUTERSPIC

“This is how it works, we saw that they took these corners quickly and must not turn our backs to them. “It is better in a way to concede a goal like this, so we can realise it’s not just words of advice, there are real life applications of what we say,” insisted Spalletti. – AFP/Agencies

Les Bleus beat Croatia on penalties

GOALKEEPER Mike Maignan saved twice in the shootout as France beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties yesterday after their Nations League quarterfinal tie had ended 2-2 on aggregate, sealing a place in the last four in June. Les Bleus won 2-0 on the night with goals in normal time by Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele at the Stade de France to wipe out their deficit from Thursday’s first leg. With no further scoring in extra-time, the tie went to penalties, where Maignan saved from both Martin Baturina and Josip Stanisic, while Franjo Ivanovic also missed for the visitors. Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez both failed to convert for the hosts, but Dayot Upamecano scored when he became the seventh France player to step up,

sparking scenes of celebrations on the pitch and in the crowd of 77,502. “We woke up thinking it could be a great night. We were convinced we were going to do something great,” captain Kylian Mbappe told broadcaster TF1 . “And we know when it comes to penalties that we have a goalkeeper who can make the difference.” France, who won the Nations League in 2021, will now take on title-holders Spain in the semifinals in Stuttgart in Germany on June 5, with the winners advancing to the final in Munich three days later. Germany will face Portugal in Munich in the other last four tie. “Getting to the final is an objective,” Mbappe added. “These are the kind of matches you want to play in and there is a title up for grabs.”

Croatia, who lost on penalties to Spain in the final of the last Nations League in 2023, will now instead start their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup in June. They will go into qualifying Group L with the Czech Republic, Montenegro, the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar, who they will face first on June 6. “It was a very difficult night for us. We were not able to repeat our performance from the first leg,” admitted Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. “It is good experience for us for the future. The aim now is to get to the World Cup and I think we can do it.” France’s progress to the final stages of the Nations League means they will not begin their World Cup qualifying campaign until September, when they will be in Group D with Ukraine, Iceland and Azerbaijan. – AFP