Germany v Portugal: Nations League semi-final – live

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The Allianz Arena has been hit by a hailstorm just before kick off, although the weather isn’t causing any delays to the game. Ronaldo will earn his 219th cap tonight, and is seeking to extend his men’s world record of 136 international goals. The captain has already had to deal with an occupational hazard, as a young fan tried to run on to the pitch and greet him, only to be tackled decisively by stewards.

Portugal keeper Diogo Costa leaves the pitch after hail interrupts his warm-up. Photograph: Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo greets a fan who was grabbed by stewards as he ran on to the pitch. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

Team news

Germany (3-4-3): Ter Stegen; Anton, Tah, Koch; Kimmich (c), Pavlovic, Goretzka, Mittelstädt; Sané, Wirtz, Woltemade.
Subs from: Baumann, Nübel, Gross, Nmecha, Füllkrug, Undav, Adeyemi, Kehrer, Gnabry, Gosens, Raum, Andrich, Bischof.

Portugal (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; João Neves, Dias, Inácio, Nuno Mendes, Rúben Neves, Bernardo Silva; Trincão, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto; Ronaldo (c).
Subs from: Sá, Rui Silva, Semedo, António Silva, Dalot, Palhinha, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Renato Veiga, Leão, Gonçalves, Jota, Vitinha, Mora, Conceição.

The players that had headed out onto the pitch for an early warm-up had to head back to the dressing room as hail and rain hit the stadium hard. Photograph: Anna Szilágyi/EPA

German fans pose for a photo outside the stadium in heavy rain. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

A resourceful Portugal fan inside the stadium has put his flag to good use. Photograph: Matthias Schräder/AP

Preamble

If you can’t wait for the Club World Cup and Euro 2025 to fill your days, there’s another major tournament finale squeezed into football’s almost non-existent summer break. The men’s Nations League finals kick off in Germany, with the hosts seeking a trophy to somewhat atone for falling short at last year’s home Euros. They face Portugal in the semi-final in Munich, with France and Spain contesting the other semi in Stuttgart.

It’s been an exciting run to the final four for both these teams; in the new two-legged quarter-finals, Germany squeezed past Italy 5-4 on aggregate, while Portugal were minutes from defeat to Denmark before winning 5-3 on aggregate in extra time. This is Germany’s first run to the final four; Portugal won the first finals back in 2019. Still, Julian Nagelsmann’s side start as favourites at the Allianz Arena tonight.

Liverpool fans may be hoping to get a glimpse of Florian Wirtz in action tonight, with the hosts likely to field a strong line-up despite injuries to Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and others. The Portugal coach, Roberto Martínez, must decide whether to call on PSG heroes Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and João Neves, who lit up this very stadium four night ago. And will he start Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, up front? Readers, he probably will.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST; team news and buildup to come.