Cristiano Ronaldo sends bullish message after firing Portugal to the UEFA Nations League final with international goal 137

The evergreen 40-year-old continues to deliver on the biggest of stages, with another shot at major silverware being secured. CR7 made a decisive contribution for his country in a semi-final showdown with Germany.

Portugal trailed that contest early in the second-half as Liverpool-linked Florian Wirtz opened the scoring. Roberto Martinez's side turned the tie on its head just past the hour mark as they netted twice in the space of five minutes.

Francisco Conceicao restored parity, before Ronaldo was teed up to roll home the simplest of finishes and put Portugal in front. They held on from there to book their place in the Nations League final.

Ronaldo, who was donning the captain's armband once again and made it through 90 minutes before being replaced on the occasion of his 220th cap, posted on social media afterwards: "ONWARDS PORTUGAL."

Ronaldo has savoured Nations League glory before, leading Portugal to victory in the inaugural staging of that event back in 2019 as he finished as the competition’s top scorer. A final showdown with either France or Spain will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday.