Francisco Conceição is the wild card in Portugal's semi-final victory over Germany. A Conceição had already played a leading role in the duel.
05.06.2025, 07:29
05.06.2025, 07:32
dpa
Germany had not lost an international match against Portugal for 25 years - until another Conceição emerged as a spectre. At the 2000 European Championships in the Netherlands and Belgium, Sérgio Conceição scored three goals in a 3-0 defeat of a Portugal B team and caused the German national team's embarrassing first-round exit.
On Wednesday evening, it was his 22-year-old son Francisco who turned the tide in his country's favor after coming on as a substitute in the 2:1 Nations League semi-final in Munich. The Juventus winger came on in the 58th minute. Just five minutes later, he scored the 1:1 equalizer with a wonderful long-range shot after a turbo run from the right.
Papa said: "Do the best"
The winning goal for Portugal was then scored by captain and top player Cristiano Ronaldo, but the agile Francisco Conceição was named player of the match after Portugal's entry into the Nations League final. And the young professional was proud that he was able to continue the family story with a connection to Germany.
"I talk to my father every day, before every game. It's a ritual for us. He wished me luck and told me to do the best I can," said Conceição. The 50-year-old dad must have been very pleased.
The junior described his dream goal as "a moment of intuition. When I hit the ball, I knew it was going to be good. I was able to help my team, which makes me happy."
Of course, he now hopes to play from the start in the final against Spain or France on Sunday (21:00). But that's for the coach to decide. "And whether starting eleven or bench, I always try to help the team," said Conceição.
Successful genes
Rodrigo Conceição - another of Sérgio Conceição senior's four sons - also oscillates between being a regular and a wild card. The 25-year-old has played for FCZ since 2023 and recently made headlines in the home match against Winterthur when he had to make way after half an hour. After his early substitution, he gave sports director Milos Malenovic a few "nice" words - behind closed doors.
The other two sons - Moisés plays in Portugal's third division, Sérgio junior in the Cypriot first division - also earn their money from football.
