A 3-3 draw between Portugal and Spain in Group B was easily the blockbuster fixture on Friday and Cristiano Ronaldo was the undisputed star of the show.

The Real Madrid man opened the scoring from the spot in the fourth minute before giving Portugal the lead again just before half-time after Diego Costa’s 24th-minute equaliser.

The Atletico Madrid striker equalised again in the second half before Nacho’s strike from range handed Spain the lead only for Ronaldo to rescue Portugal with a sublime free-kick two minutes from time.

KEY STATS

30-SECOND REPORT

Ronaldo was ably supported up front by Goncalo Guedes in a two-pronged attack. The Valencia youngster was the more mobile of the two forwards while his skipper played off his runs well. Efficiency was a major feature of Ronaldo’s performance as he retained a 94.3 per-cent passing accuracy.

He won and converted his penalty for the opener excellently before benefiting from David de Gea’s mistake for his second. His hat-trick goal was a thing of beauty as it defied the laws of physics and left the Manchester United keeper rooted to the spot.

GOT RIGHT

Sharpness

Every aspect of Ronaldo’s performance was acutely designed to be direct and attack Spain in short bursts. He was single-minded when he ran at Nacho and won the penalty with just the one step-over to evade the defender.

The conversion was made with the minimum of fuss and he took his second with a quick snapshot, possibly catching De Gea off guard. His one-touch play and stylish flick-ons were indicative of his sharpness on the night and played perfectly into Portugal’s counter-attacking strategy.

Composure

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And Cristiano Ronaldo is most certainly the man. The free-kick will live long in the memory and ranks among his very best. However, it’s the timing and significance of the strike that is truly marvellous.

Few players can rise to the occasion and deliver on such a consistent basis. He showed nerves of steel when he confidently tucked away his penalty to get the ball rolling despite De Gea’s futile attempts to rattle him.

SPORT360 VERDICT

As if Nacho’s goal wasn’t sensational enough, Ronaldo stepped up and upstaged him in phenomenal fashion. A hat-trick in Portugal’s opening World Cup match, against one of the standout favourites in the tournament no less was beyond expectations, even for him.

From start to finish, he was his side’s main man and fittingly scored a dramatic late equaliser to salvage a 3-3 draw in Group B’s crunch game. He’s already laid down a marker in the tournament and helped Portugal make a statement.

RATING – 10/10