Cristiano Ronaldo, the 40-year-old striker, propelled Portugal to the UEFA Nations League final by scoring the winner in his team's 2-1 win over Germany in the semifinal in Munich on Wednesday.

This was Portugal's first-ever win over European giants Germany, against whom Portugal had last won in Euro 2000. Since Ronaldo's debut, he had played Germany five times and lost all five. Now, that 25-year-old streak ended with Portugal standing on the cusp of winning their second Nations League title in six years.

Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 68th minute, just five minutes after Francisco Conceicao cancelled out a 48th-minute Florian Wirtz opener for Germany. It was Ronaldo's 137th international goal and his 937th strike across all formats of the game.

Following Ronaldo's magnificent performance against Germany, former German footballer Jurgen Klinsmann hailed the Portuguese star. “This is simply exceptional. What he is producing as a 40-year-old; it seems he is not getting old at all. He put himself in the service of the team; he came back, he helped out, he tried to connect to his team-mates. This is a real leader. And once he is in the box, he is still one of the best finishers in the game. He can make a difference anytime, but it is his attitude that makes a huge difference. If he keeps his team-mates positive, his work to the team, there is no doubt that he can still play on till next year’s World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. We saw in Qatar Messi ready to cash in at a later stage of his career. Maybe Ronaldo can do it next year; this is an exceptional Portugal team,” Klinsmann said.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, called his side's win over Germany “historic” and said that Portugal’s Vitinha deserves the Ballon d’Or this year. “He is a player who was essential for PSG to win everything they have won. I think that due to Vitinha’s style and effectiveness, he deserves to be awarded the Ballon d’Or,” Martinez said.