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Instant classic: Ronaldo's hat-trick sees Portugal snatch draw with Spain

Stuart Franklin - FIFA / FIFA / Getty

Cristiano Ronaldo, take a bow.

The bronzed purveyor of stunning strikes snatched a point from the jaws of defeat on Friday against Spain in Sochi, levelling a frenetic affair for Portugal with a sumptuous free-kick in the 88th minute to secure a 3-3 draw.

On the same day the Real Madrid star was reportedly ordered to pay a €18.8-million fine for tax evasion, Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick.

The match ended in the same manner it had started: in Ronaldo's control.

He set the tone for a frenetic clash inside five minutes when he was brought down in the area by Spain right-back Nacho, slotting home the subsequent spot-kick to become just the fourth player to score in four World Cups.

Spain would have to wait 20 minutes to find an equaliser. Diego Costa simultaneously won possession with a headed flick whilst elbowing karmic culprit Pepe in the neck before making a befuddling a helpless Jose Fonte and Raphael Guerreiro with a series of dribbles that afforded the Atletico star an inch of space. Costa then fired one beyond a lunging Rui Patricio, and from there, La Roja controlled the tempo for the remainder of the opening interval.

With the tempo favouring Spain in the opening half's final moments, Pepe found Goncalo Guedes with a looping 30-yard pass that the Paris Saint-Germain forward corralled with his thigh, laying it off for Ronaldo for a left-footed strike that David De Gea unwittingly ushered into his own net.

Costa would again level for his adopted homeland, this time 10 minutes after the break when he muscled home Sergio Busquets' headed pass from close range. That set the table for what was the goal of the tournament for all of 30 minutes.

Then, Spain full-back Nacho got on the end of a limp clearance from Joao Moutinho on the edge of the area before firing an unstoppable right-footed rocket off both posts and in.

That advantage stood for the better part of the second half before Ronaldo fired the dead-ball rocket beyond De Gea, his first successful major tournament free-kick in 45 tries.

Portugal and Spain are both on one point with two matches remaining in Group B play, two points adrift of Iran after Team Melli stunned Morocco earlier on Friday.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

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