Cristiano Ronaldo's time with the Portugal national team is winding down, but the captain continues to make contributions that will linger for much longer after his time is done with the team.

His latest contribution helped his country seal a passage to their third final in nine years, where they now await the winner of France vs. Spain in the final of the UEFA Nations League after coming from behind to beat Germany, sealing their first win in the fixture in 25 years.

Portugal had lost each of their previous five meetings with Germany since a Sergio Conceição hat-trick gave them a 3-0 win in their final group game of the 2000 European championship, where they finished top of the group with a perfect record, before losing out 2-1 to France after extra time in the semi-finals.

Portugal had also not beaten Germany away since Carlos Manuel's long-range strike beat Toni Schumacher to secure a 1-0 win in Stuttgart during a World Cup qualifier in October 1985.

They had failed to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League since winning the maiden edition in 2018, finishing second in their group in the next two editions, both of which saw the group winners go on to win the title.

In this edition, which for the first time featured a quarter-finals stage, they topped their group unbeaten but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in the first leg of the quarter-finals, a match in which they were second best all night.

Unsurprisingly, Portugal overcame the deficit in the return leg, although they were made to work for it. A late goal from substitute Francisco Trincao helped win 3-2 on the night to force extra time, where the aforementioned scored again, and Goncalo Ramos added another to seal a 5-3 aggregate win.

Facing the hosts in a one-legged semi-final, Portugal had much to make up for in a hostile environment, but Roberto Martínez's team rose to the occasion and reached the Nations League final for the second time in their history.

Germany's elimination now means that one of the previous winners will be crowned champion again in Sunday's final, as all three of Portugal, France, and Spain have won the tournament in the past.

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Making their first appearance in the finals, Germany headed into the game on a run of eight, but their confidence was dampened by the absence of major players due to injuries.

Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rudiger, and Nico Schlotterbeck were all missing, and five of Julian Nagelsmann's starters on the night had not even started 10 games for Die Mannschaft before kickoff.

Nevertheless, they were much the better side in the first half as Portugal struggled to put passes together. A midfield pair of Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva had Roberto Martinez's selection questioned when Vitinha was on the bench while João Neves was playing right-back.

Both players had enjoyed a successful season collectively at their club, Paris Saint-Germain, with whom they won the treble and individually established themselves as some of the best midfielders in the world.

Germany eventually took the lead three minutes after the restart, although in controversial circumstances through Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz, who played an exciting one-two with Joshua Kimmich before making a run into the box to receive the second ball, heading past Diogo Costa to break the deadlock.

Portugal protested obstruction, as Germany debutant Nick Woltemade, who was in an offside position, denied Ruben Diaz a chance of making a recovery, but the referee did not see enough to disallow the goal, even after a VAR review.

Joshua Kimmich, who set up the goal, achieved his sixth assist of the competition, five of which have come in his last three games — he leads the way for assists.

Portugal had never won against Germany when they conceded the first goal, and needing to score to stay alive in the competition, Martinez made alterations, which soon paid dividends sooner rather than later.

Vitinha, Nelson Semedo, and Chico Conceicao were all introduced just before the hour mark. Conceicao scored a brilliantly curled strike from outside the box to restore parity five minutes after coming on.

The 22-year-old followed in the footsteps of his Dad, who scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal beat Germany 25 years ago, during the 2000 European Championship.

Portugal built on their momentum and kept the pressure on Germany, who eventually conceded another goal five minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and finished easily from a low cross by Nuno Mendes.

This marked Ronaldo’s 137th goal for Portugal and his 85th since turning 30, a tally that still places him among the top six all-time international leading goalscorers. He also extends his feat as the highest goalscorer in UEFA Nations League A with his seventh strike.

Portugal now awaits the winner of France or Spain, who face off in the second semi-final on Thursday, in Sunday’s final. They face a tougher challenge on either side, given recent difficult encounters.

France qualified at their expense in 2021, and so did Spain in 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Martínez, and the rest of the Portugal squad will be hoping to complete their redemption story at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.