Things we learned on day two of the 2018 World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo is still a bit good
Ronaldo opened the scoring against Spain with an early penalty and, following a Diego Costa equaliser, put Portugal back in front just before half-time as David De Gea fumbled his shot from outside the box. The second half saw Spain have the better of it, equalising through Costa’s second of the night and taking a lead through a sweetly struck Nacho half-volley.
Ronaldo wasn’t quite done, however…
He completed his hat-trick from a late free-kick, leaving De Gea with no chance as he curled the ball around Sergio Busquets on the edge of the Spanish wall, into the top corner.
3-3 it finished – genuinely one of the greatest World Cup group games of all time.
After it, much of the talks was (rightly) about Ronaldo. Only two years on from being a significant factor in Portugal’s success at Euro 2016, many again made the suggestion the 33-year-old had once again carried his country.
Speaking after the game, Ronaldo ignored such notions, instead stressing to reporters the importance of his team’s performance.
“Above all we have to stress the efforts of the team,” Ronaldo told the media after the game.
“We showed that we will always fight to the end,” he added. “Spain dominated possession, they’re one of the best sides in the world, but we believed until the end.”
Usually, we read about Ronaldo’s ego and tendency to make things about himself. Although it’s completely fair that his performance in Sochi dominates the post-match headlines, his attempts to deflect the praise on to his teammates highlight why he’s a worthy captain for his national side.
Portugal’s next game sees them take on Morocco on Wednesday. They close their group against Iran a week on Monday.
