"Biggest scam that has ever existed in football", "Never forgive you for doing this" - Fans slam Spain star after loss to Portugal

Fans lashed out at Alvaro Morata after his penalty miss in the UNL final vs Portugal
Fans lashed out at Alvaro Morata after his penalty miss in the UNL final vs Portugal

Fans lambasted forward Alvaro Morata after Spain's 5-3 loss on penalties against Portugal in the final of the 2025 UEFA Nations League.

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Morata, who plays for Galatasaray at club level on loan from AC Milan, is the current skipper of La Roja. However, he has been featuring more and more infrequently in Luis de la Fuente's starting lineups, with the 63-year-old preferring Mikel Oyarzabal over him.

Against Portugal, Oyarzabal delivered, scoring the go-ahead goal (45') after Martin Zubimendi (21') and Nuno Mendes' (26') goals had deadlocked the scoreline. Yet, Portugal captain and superstar attacker Cristiano Ronaldo had the last laugh, netting the equalizer (61') and forcing the game into extra time.

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Replacing Oyarzabal in the 111th minute, Morata did not have much of an impact on the game in the extra-time period. As the game went into a penalty shootout, both Spain and Portugal were perfect through seven spot-kicks, with the score 4-3 in favour of the latter.

The former Chelsea man stepped up next, but his weak effort towards the bottom left corner was parried away by Diogo Costa. Ruben Neves scored the Selecao das Quinas' fifth penalty, securing their second UNL title (first in 2019).

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After the game, fans lashed out at the Spain forward for his horrendous miss. On X, @CFCAccountable wrote:

"Alvaro Morata is the biggest scam that has ever existed in football."
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@barbitwt wrote:

"Morata i will never forgive you for doing this."
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Here is a selection of fan reactions (via X):

"Morata is the most pathetic footballer to ever play the sport," @B4LDB4ST4RD claimed.
@StopThatXavii questioned, "Morata is walking embarrassment in Spain's history. Has he ever scored a penalty before?"
"You just knew Morata would miss," @madridistatvYT wrote.
"Morata missing that penalty is about as predictable as it gets I'll be real," @TheOfficialFNG wrote.
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"How do they let Morata take a pen, everyone on earth knew this dude was going to miss," @Nedao454 claimed.
"Horrible penalty by Morata. Did everything wrong there," @afcjxmes wrote.
"Morata doesnt even cry for these anymore, he's so used to letting his club and country down it's second nature to him," @TheChelseaTalk claimed.
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"Morata's national team story should have ended with the Euros," @Boboye_Ak opined.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores, leads Portugal to second Nations League title after penalty shootout win vs Spain

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo delivered on the biggest stage and led his side to their second UEFA Nations League title.

Trailing 2-1 to Spain in the final, the pressure was on the 40-year-old to rescue his side from the jaws of defeat. In the 61st minute of the game, he got the opportunity to do so, and he delivered.

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Nuno Mendes made a blazing run into the box and tried to sweep the ball across to Cristiano at the far post. The low cross deflected off Robin le Normand, falling perfectly for the talismanic forward to prod it into the back of the net.

Although Ronaldo himself was substituted for Goncalo Ramos in the 88th minute, Portugal held on to the 2-2 scoreline and eventually triumphed 5-3 on penalties. The win secured their second UNL triumph; they won the inaugural edition (2018-19) by a 1-0 scoreline over the Netherlands in the final.

Besides the two UNL titles, Ronaldo also captained his side to victory in the EURO 2016. With three international titles and numerous club-level and individual accolades, his legacy as one of the best footballers ever continues to be set further in stone.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
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