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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wolverine GTR" data-source="post: 23315512" data-attributes="member: 158020">Portugal 3 Spain 3: Brilliant Ronaldo hat-trick earns thrilling draw<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/15/21/4D486ABE00000578-5849307-image-a-204_1529093214768.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning hat-trick earned Portugal a dramatic 3-3  draw in their Group B opener against Iberian neighbours Spain.Spain led with three minutes to go after Nacho Fernandez hit a  wonderful 25-yard drive but Ronaldo was determined to steal the  headlines for himself.And  he ended the day with a World Cup match-ball after hitting an outrageous  late free-kick to ensure the spoils were shared in this blockbuster  clash in Sochi.Captain  Ronaldo had given Portugal a fourth-minute lead from the penalty spot  after he was fouled by Madrid team-mate Nacho, restoring the lead thanks  to David de Gea's horrible mistake.Diego Costa replied twice to  get the 2010 champions level, with Nacho's beautiful goal having  seemingly settled a high-class encounter at the Fisht Stadium.Ronaldo,  though, had other ideas and stepped up to beat De Gea again with a  perfect 20-yard free-kick, almost snatching all three points with a  stoppage-time header.Friday's earlier games were both settled by late winners but Ronaldo  was immediately in the thick of the action, tumbling under a rash  challenge from Nacho, who was deputising for Dani Carvajal, another Real  Madrid team-mate. Although De Gea attempted to distract Ronaldo before the former  Manchester United man took the spot-kick, he sent the goalkeeper the  wrong way to make yet more history, becoming the first player to score  in eight consecutive international tournaments.David Silva  smashed a shot over the crossbar as Spain - who sacked coach Julen  Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament and replaced him with Fernando  Hierro - tried to find an immediate response, the Manchester City  midfielder then having an effort deflected wide after magical footwork  from Andres Iniesta.An increasingly dominant Spain did draw level in the 24th minute, though, with a goal that survived a VAR review.Costa  bullied Pepe in the air, then twisted and turned away from two Portugal  defenders to rifle home his seventh goal in 11 international  appearances.Technology was soon called into action again when Isco's rocket  thumped against the crossbar, but replays showed the ball bounced on the  line before Portugal smuggled it away. De Gea made a terrible error in a warm-up friendly against  Switzerland and he was guilty again with a horrible moment that handed  Portugal back the lead on the stroke of half-time.Portugal had  not recorded a shot on target since Ronaldo's opener but, when the  forward collected possession on the edge of the area and drilled a low  left-footed drive at De Gea, the goalkeeper somehow allowed the ball to  slip through his grasp.Spain did not allow that mistake to distract them, though, Costa levelling the scores in the 55th minute.Silva's  free-kick to the back post was headed back across goal by Sergio  Busquets, with Costa timing his run into the box to nudge home.Within three minutes Spain were in front for the first time, thanks to Nacho's spectacular 25-yard goal.A  Portugal clearance rebounded kindly to the Madrid defender, who hit a  first-time drive that curled beautifully out of Rui Patricio's reach,  via a double bounce off the woodwork.Substitute Ricardo Quaresma fired a warning shot over the crossbar  but there was only one man who was going to step up for Portugal.Ronaldo was fouled on the edge of the penalty area and he could  hardly have placed the ball in a more ideal position for one of his  special set-pieces, despite having failed to score with 44 previous  free-kick efforts in World Cups and European Championships.With  the Sochi crowd on the edge of their seats, Ronaldo delivered with a  trademark curler that bent over and away from the wall to settle a  contest that will go down in history as a World Cup classic.</blockquote>

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