Like father like son and the eternal Ronaldo

Francisco Conceição scored in the 63rd minute, five minutes after coming on as a substitute, to make it 1-1. The Juventus Turin attacker, who has a market value of 36 million euros, made Robin Gosens look old-fashioned with a turbo run and flicked the ball superbly into the net. As beautiful as the goal was, what made it special was that he was following in the footsteps of his father Sergio. At the European Championship 25 years ago, in Portugal's last victory against Germany, he scored all three goals in the match and sealed the DFB's embarrassing preliminary round exit.

At that time, 22-year-old Francisco Conceição was not even born yet. He talks to his father before every game. "It's a ritual for us. He wished me luck and told me to do the best I could," says Francisco Conceição. He has more than succeeded, and his speed has also been an invigorating element.

Defying the critics

His father Sergio Conceição played his last international match on September 6, 2003, a few days before a certain Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal. That actually says everything about his sporting longevity. The star striker is now 40 years old.

Before the Nations League semi-final against Germany, the renowned Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: "Superstar Ronaldo, of all people, is becoming a problem". Especially against stronger opponents, he is now finding it difficult to make the most of his experience and accuracy. Ronaldo scored the winner in the 68th minute to make it 2:1, his seventh goal in his eighth Nations League game and 137th goal in his 220th international match. Once again, he proved his critics wrong, regardless of his lack of pace.

Future open

Although Ronaldo has already experienced a great deal in his impressive career, Wednesday evening was a first for him. It was his first win in his sixth match against Germany. The first five duels were lost with a goal difference of 5:15. A side note: He is now the oldest player to score a goal against Germany. Previously, this was the then 38-year-old Bosnian Edin Dzeko.

"His ambition to keep going is incredible," said team-mate Bernardo Silva about CR7. Coach Roberto Martinez praised Ronaldo as an absolute role model. "Cristiano never loses his hunger, his drive. He doesn't play to set records, he plays to get better."

Meanwhile, CR7 hurried to the team bus almost unnoticed. It remains to be seen what will happen with him. What is clear is that his contract with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr expires on June 30. It looks like a farewell. It is quite possible that Ronaldo will also be seen at the Club World Cup in the USA, which begins on June 15. But first he wants to make the next headline on Sunday in the Nations League final.