Portugal and Spain Tie 3-3 – Ronaldo Scores Hat Trick

Portugal and Spain met for their first match in what was a nail-biter for Portugal fans as Spain dominated but were unable to contain the skills and power of Cristiano Ronaldo.

After scoring the first of his three goals in the opener, Ronaldo was seen rubbing his chin suggesting more was to come, and come he did earning the star footballer a hat trick and allowing Portugal to walk away with a draw in a game that saw it being dominated by the 2010 World Cup Champions.

Commenting on the skills of Cristiano, Fernando Hierro, the newly appointed coach for Spain said,

“When I play against a player like Ronaldo, these things can happen. It’s very fortunate for whatever team has Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Portugal twice led the match after Cristiano Ronaldo scored first on a penalty kick. Spain’s Diego Costa, in what was a surprising goal, tied the match after brilliantly handling the ball and outsmarting the Portuguese defenders. A second goal by Ronaldo made it 2-1 for Portugal after Spain’s goaltender David de Gea failed to keep hold of the ball. Moments later, Spain tied it yet again.

As the second-half got underway, Spain’s Diego Costa sent a blistering shot past Portugal’s defenders and into the net to make it 3-2 for Spain. With a late minute free kick, Ronaldo scored his hat-trick after sending the ball over the heads of the Spanish line to tie the match 3-3 giving both teams a draw in their first matches.

Ronaldo is playing in his fourth World Cup and joins a small list of player to have scored in four World Cup appearances, and became the only Portuguese player to have achieved this in the history of the World Cup. Ronaldo, at 33, also became the oldest player in world Cup history to score a hat trick.

#Cristiano Ronaldo. Amazing, mysterious, and now seemingly iconic celebration where he rubbed his chin! Fascinating to see if he continues doing that, and what it truly means. #PORESP #CR7 #MelhorDoMundo 🇵🇹🤔#Portugal #POR #ConquistaOSonho #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/iZTAIoXbTH

— Team Portugal (@TeamPortugal_EN) June 16, 2018

What was clear is that Ronaldo was sending a message when he rubbed his chin in what many felt was a jab at Adidas and its promotion with Lionel Messi that features Messi with a goat. While Messi and Ronaldo both earned 5 Player of the Year Awards, Ronaldo was making a point.

Fernando Santos, the head coach for Portugal said,

“I’ve said it so many times, Cristiano is the best in the world.”

However Ronaldo, who has scored five other hat tricks during international play, tried to downplay the achievement saying,

“To me, the most important thing is to highlight what the team has done.”

After a controversial decision saw Spain replacing their coach just days before the World Cup was to start, Spain was looking to overcome this in their first match, and almost did if it not for Cristiano.

Spain chose to terminate Julen Lopetegui after it was revealed he decided to accept a coaching position with the Real Madrid without informing Spain in advance. Spain replaced Lopetegui with Fernando Hierro, whose previous position was as a sporting director. This came as a surprise considering Hierro has no real coaching experience in the past.

Speaking on the situation, Hierro said,

“It wasn’t an easy situation. When you have this staff and these young players, they make it much easier.”

The match between Portugal and Spain was one of the more anticipated of the first stage, and it wasn’t long before fans got to see what they came for thanks to Ronaldo. After attempting moving past his Real Madrid teammate, José Ignacio Fernández, he was awarded a penalty kick that resulted in the first of his three goals.

For Fernando Santos, he was happy stating,

“It’s always great to have somebody wonderful playing like that. I’m glad he’s Portuguese.”

Portugal will next face Morocco on Wednesday and Iran on Monday before facing Croatia and Scotland. Spain will play against Iran next and then Morocco on Monday and then Wales. After today’s match, sports betting action will surely pick up odds for Cristiano as the top goalscorer will improve as will their overall odds to win outright. A favoured sportsbook with Canadians, Bodog is offering new registering players a free World Cup freeroll and a 100% match bonus. With the World Cup in full swing, now is the right time to take advantage of the promotions being offered at Bodog and other top-rated Canadian sportsbooks.

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