Portugal force Spain to 3-3 draw in Group B opener at Russia 2018

Portugal force Spain to 3-3 draw in Group B opener at Russia 2018

- Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday night, June 15, scored three goals as Portugal played 3-3 draw with Spain

- The match was their Group B opener at the FIFA 2018 World Cup going on in Russia

- Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa also scored two goals for Spain in this encounter

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo proved on Friday night, June 15, that he is the world best footballer when he scored three goals as Portugal forced Spain to a 3-3 draw in Group B opener at the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Portugal started the match impressively and it took them only four minute to score their first goal through Cristiano Ronaldo via a penalty.

He was brought down by Nacho Fernandez and the referee had no choice than to give a penalty which was superbly scored by Ronaldo.

But Diego Costa restored parity for Spain in the 24th minute when he dribbled Pepe and Cedric to score a fantastic goal.

Ronaldo scored again in the 44th minute after a superb pass from Goncalo Guedes as the first half ended with Portugal leading 2-1.

Spain came out in the second half aggressive scoring two goals in the space of three minutes through Diego Costa and Nacho Fernandez.

The Spanish fans thought their players would win the match, but Cristiano Ronaldo broke their hearts as he scored at the death for the match to end 3-3.

Below is the live updates of the match.

Full Time' And that is it as the referee blows the final whistle for this match between Portugal and Spain which ended 3-3. What a match.

90' Raphael Guerreiro from Portugal tries to pick out a team-mate in the area but his cross is blocked by an opponent

88' Goal..........Cristiano Ronaldo curls the direct free kick into the back of the net! Wonderful finish

86' David Silva is now leaving the field for Spain. He tried all he could to get register his name on the sheet, but he could not

85' That's a great ball by Iago Aspas from Spain as he directs the ball behind the defense, but the chance eventually goes begging

83' Spain international Iago Aspas tries his luck from distance but his effort ends up safely in the hands of Portugal goalie Rui Patricio

80' We are now in the last 10 minutes of this game between Portugal and Spain and the Spaniards are still leading 3-2

72' Cristiano Ronaldo's wing seems to have been clipped in this second half as Spain defenders are not giving him any space to run

71' Jose Fonte from Portugal tries to head the ball to a team mate, but it's intercepted by Jordi Alba

69' Ricardo Quaresma from Portugal tries to pick out a team-mate in the area but his cross is blocked by Sergio Ramos who has been wonderful for Spain in the defense

65' William Carvalho from Portugal crosses the ball, but it goes out for a throw-in. Busquets takes the throw and finds Isco who was blocked by Cedric

63' Bernardo Silva is very lucky not to be booked for a cynical pull on Isco. The referee played a good advantage but should have gone back to book Silva. Isco has been so brilliant tonight for Spain.

58' Goal......Spain score another goal through Nacho Fernandez.

55' Goal......Diego Costa from Spain taps the ball in! An easy finish for the Atletico Madrid striker as the score is now 2-2 in this tough encounter

51' David Silva of Spain tries to locate Diego Costa with a brilliant pass, but Cedric was at the right place to block the ball for Portugal

49' Isco continues to pop up all over the pitch for Spain as he’s been the biggest threat to Portugal in this match.

47' Spain take a throw-in at the right side of the pitch in the opponent's half of the field, and the ball finds David Silva who was later ruled offside by the referee

46' Welcome back to the second half of Group B game between Portugal and Spain

45' And the referee blows the whistle for the end of the first half

44' Goncalo Guedes assisted the goal scored by Ronaldo

44' Goal..........Ronaldo scores for Portugal

42' Wonderful shot from Isco, but Portugal goalie was again excellent to save

40' 1-1 is still the score as the first 45 minutes of this game remains 5 minutes

39' Spain have really found their rhythm in this game and they are aggressively looking for the second goal

38' Strong defender Pepe clears the danger for Portugal

37' Jordi Alba from Spain tries to play a 1-2 with Andres Iniesta, but the ball is intercepted

36' Raphael Guerreiro from Portugal crosses the ball, but it goes out for a goal kick

34' Koke sends a long ball from the midfield, and Portugal goalie Patricio comes out quick to save

32' Portuguese defender Pepe trips Sergio Busquets and the referee gives a free kick

30' Ronaldo tries to locate a teammate, but he was blocked

29' Excellent pass from Koke, but Pepe clears the danger for Portugal

28' Spain are now in control of the ball with excellent passes and runs

27' Center referee signals a free kick as Bruno Fernandes of Portugal trips Nacho Fernandez

26' That would have been a great goal! Isco sees his volley come back off the crossbar

24' Diego Costa scores for Spain and it is now 1-1

24' Great skill from Diego Costa as he dribbles past his opponents

20' What an excellent pass from Iniesta, but he misses the target as Portugal lead 1-0

19' Isco from Spain tries to pick out a team-mate in the area but his cross is blocked by an opponent

18' The referee had no other choice than to give the Spaniard a yellow card

17' Reckless challenge there from Sergio Busquets as he commits a rough foul on Goncalo Guedes

15' Nacho Fernandez from Spain passes the ball in the box, but it's intercepted by Cedric

13' David Silva from Spain passes the ball, but his team mate can't benefit from it

11' Spain are trying all they could to restore parity in this match

10' Superb skills again from Isco as he dribbles two defenders in the box

9' Real Madrid star Isco puts in a dangerous cross for Spain, But Rui Patricio comes out to save

6' Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is at the top of his game tonight

5' The referee signals a free kick as Sergio Busquets from Spain trips Cristiano Ronaldo

4' Goal......Ronaldo scores for Portugal

3' PENALTY - Nacho Fernandez from Spain concedes a penalty for tripping Cristiano Ronaldo

2' Portugal are trying to create something here early in this game

1' Spain kick-off and the game is underway on a fantastic pitch good for the players

Good evening everyone, and welcome to our live updates for the big match between Portugal and Spain.

Below is the preview for the encounter.

European champions Portugal will face 2010 World champions Spain in the Group B opener at the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament which began on Thursday, June 14.

The encounter between these two teams is expected to be tough considering their pedigrees and the players they will parade on the pitch.

Spain will go into this tie with new coach Fernando Hierro who replaced Julen Lopetegui after he was sacked for his decision to have accepted Real Madrid job.

Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal has returned to training with Spain following a hamstring injury but remains a doubt for the World Cup opener.

Portugal on the other hand have reported no injury concerns ahead of this clash on Friday evening, July 15.

The last time Spain and Portugal met was at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in which David Villa's only goal condemned Portugal to a defeat in the round of 16.

But this time around, Cristiano Ronaldo will come face to face with his captain at Real Madrid sergio Ramos for the first time since they both won the Champions League title in Kiev.

Meanwhile, 7pm Nigerian time is when this match will kick off and Legit.ng will bring you the live updates.

Line ups for Portugal and Spain below

PAY ATTENTION: Click on link to get World Cup fixtures on Legit.ng

Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Russia opened their account with a 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the first match of the Russia 2018 World Cup.

The host nation had the advantage in the opening exchanges of the match as Yuri Gazinkiy put the home side ahead with a well-placed header to make the scores 1-0.

Fifa 2018 Most Powerful Teams: Which Teams Have A Better Chance At Winning? | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng

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