And breathe.
Hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational free-kick two minutes from time earned Portugal a 3-3 draw with Spain in a pulsating World Cup Group B encounter on Friday in what will go down as one of the greatest games of all time.
Ronaldo had given Portugal a dream start, winning and scoring a fourth-minute penalty. Diego Costa then levelled, only for Ronaldo to put the 2016 European champions back in front just before half-time.
Costa once again got Spain back level, before Nacho scored his first international goal to give Spain the lead, only for Ronaldo’s magical 88th minute set piece earned Portugal a share of the spoils in Sochi.
With Ronaldo winning the penalty 126 seconds into the game, things were off to a rollicking start and for the most part, the tempo barely dropped.
Let’s relive the match as it unfolded on Twitter, starting with a few records for Ronaldo when he scored that first goal.
Cool as you like.... Viva Ronaldo ⚽️🏆 #WorldCup #Ronaldo
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) June 15, 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo is only the fourth player in #WorldCup history to score in four consecutive tournaments:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 15, 2018
☑️ 2006
☑️ 2010
☑️ 2014
☑️ 2018
Among the elite. pic.twitter.com/3eW0dNbC7n
4 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the fourth player to score in four separate World Cup tournaments (also Pelé, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler). Greats. #PORESP #POR #ESP #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/9xi1WDlGYh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018
Ronaldo is De Niro in Heat. Past his physical peak, but can still pull elite heists #WorldCup
— Musa Okwonga (@Okwonga) June 15, 2018
Players to score in four #WorldCup tournaments:
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) June 15, 2018
Miroslav Klose: '02, '06, '10, '14.
Pele: '58, '62, '66, '70.
Uwe Seeler: '58, '62, '66, '70.
Cristiano Ronaldo: '06, '10, '14, '18 🔥🇵🇹
Stat via. @ESPNFC pic.twitter.com/aEKzrjcgNu
8 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player in history to score in eight consecutive major tournaments (World Cup, European Championships, Copa America). Legend. #PORESP #POR #WorldCup
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo smiles at Nacho after winning a penalty from him. 👀😂 #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/IzYPjO9Cg0
— Krowd9 | 2018 World Cup 🏆 (@Krowd9) June 15, 2018
This tweet turned out to be pretty prescient... there was more to come.
Ronaldo v De Gea and we had to wait 3 minutes for it. Bloody love it... #WorldCup
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) June 15, 2018
And then Diego Costa did what Diego Costa does best – bully defenders to score a classic solo goal.
1 - Diego Costa scored with his first ever shot on target at a World Cup. Clinical. #PORESP #POR #ESP #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/YYfS0Oguwu
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018
This went in.
— Getty Images Sport (@GettySport) June 15, 2018
Incredible individual effort by Diego Costa levels the game at 1-1 #PORESP pic.twitter.com/ehigeaXg3J
😂 Antonio Conte watching @DiegoCosta walking through Portugal's defence single-handedly like...#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/CN9sapvK3X
— SPORF (@Sporf) June 15, 2018
And then, in a match filled with plenty of high quality moments, David de Gea produced one of the low-points of his career – a howler not befitting a player of his quality.
David De Gea: Didn't commit a single error leading to an opposition goal in the Premier League or Champions League for Manchester United last season#POR #ESP #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/yQMPozWTh0
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 15, 2018
De Gea De Gea
— A billionaire just (@Omni_Stalker) June 15, 2018
for United vs for Spain
#PORESP pic.twitter.com/FIbBraLcxj
Best GK in the world???? 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️ Ouch. #WorldCup
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) June 15, 2018
One thing I didn’t expect from this #WorldCup was for De Gea to have a howler. Ouch. Expect the unexpected!
— Spencer FC (@SpencerOwen) June 15, 2018
Ronaldo joint top goal scorer at the World Cup already. 2 goals in 44 mins👏🏻#POR 2 - 1 #ESP
🗣 “You won’t see a worse howler than Karius all season.”
— SPORF (@Sporf) June 15, 2018
🤷♂ De Gea: “Hold my beer...”#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/z06CW50NYx
David De Gea channeling his inner Karius #WorldCup
— World Cup (@EPLBible) June 15, 2018
Costa then scored then another, a set-piece bundled home.
Diego Costa has scored from his first two shots on target at a #WorldCup.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 15, 2018
What. A. Game. pic.twitter.com/GtLCXSIn24
#PORESP
— Omoniyi Israel (@omoissy) June 15, 2018
Chelsea fans watching Diego Costa like pic.twitter.com/7QU2VwH23t
Remember how football is a funny game? Now, here’s a player who wouldn’t have started the match had the first-choice right back been fit. He conceded a penalty in the fourth minute. And in the second half, he decides to make amends and how!
Take it away, Nacho...
This World Cup has officially started now - Boom. What a screamer #worldcup
— Jimmy Bullard (@jimmybullard) June 15, 2018
Best thing about that Nacho finish is that there was no dip on it. #worldcup
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOE_UK) June 15, 2018
1998 - Nacho is the first Spanish 🇪🇸 defender to score from outside the box in the World Cup 🏆 since Fernando Hierro in June 1998 v Nigeria 🇳🇬. Golazo.#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/FzL2bmhZdy
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) June 15, 2018
Highlight From #PORESP at #WorldCup
— Elder Seun 🇳🇬 🇨🇦 (@seunalaofin) June 15, 2018
1. Dea Gea is the lost but found senior brother of Judas IsKarius.
2. Conte made a big mistake selling Warrior Costa.
3. Portugal relies mainly on Ronaldo.
4. Spain should not be underestimated.
5. Nacho should be converted to a striker
Nacho is my favourite player in World Football.Quite simply because like me he‘s a Type 1 Diabetic who takes 5 insulin injections daily to stay alive. Docs told him as a teenager his condition would prevent him playing professional football! Don’t think so! #Inspiration #WorldCup
— Smithy / FrankyFryer (@SmithySoccerAM) June 15, 2018
🆚 Ronaldo's reaction to Nacho's screamer 👀#WorldCup #bbcworldcup #PORESP pic.twitter.com/WgUrF7eBCL
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 15, 2018
What a turn of events......
— Castro1021 (@Castro1021) June 15, 2018
Nacho...😳😳😳#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/asGnyyfxO7
Nacho might have chipped in (sorry) with a beautiful goal, but who had the last laugh? Ronaldo, of course.
A free-kick of the highest quality... with only a couple of minutes left on the clock... against one of the World Cup favourites. Just CR7 things...
Career hat-tricks for Ronaldo: 51
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 15, 2018
World Cup hat-tricks in total: 51
Absolutely incredible.https://t.co/Z8bB7HCC7t #WorldCup #bbcworldcup #PORESP pic.twitter.com/m3hLMsJ2k3
Only three players have scored a hat-trick for #POR at the #WorldCup:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 15, 2018
Eusebio (1966)
Pauleta (2002)
Cristiano Ronaldo (2018)
A trio of trios. pic.twitter.com/NURpDIqYuR
33y 130d - Cristiano Ronaldo is the oldest ever player to score a World Cup hat-trick. History. #PORESP #POR #ESP #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/iV00RitrmU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018
Hat-trick for Ronaldo!
— Stats Zone (@StatsZone) June 15, 2018
Three shots on target, three goals.https://t.co/srHNzUU41q pic.twitter.com/7yDwtgOSIP
#Ronaldo is one I'll take credit for.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) June 15, 2018
Two hours ago, I had more career World Cup goals than Ronaldo, clearly making me the better player. Then he scored a hat trick 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) June 15, 2018
It was for sure the shorts adjustment that helped Ronaldo here#WorldCup #RingerFC pic.twitter.com/sM4B4jxQ9g
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 15, 2018
And the result was a World Cup encounter to remember for a long, long time.
The world may have enjoyed this football game but @Cristiano has owned it! This guy is unreal... 🙌🏽 #WorldCup #PORESP
— Seema Jaswal (@meseemajaswal) June 15, 2018
The passion. The embrace at the end. The #WorldCup. 🇧🇷🇦🇷❤️ pic.twitter.com/37fjmDlvZj
— Arsène's Son (@hughwizzy) June 15, 2018
Well the #WorldCup has now started! #Portugal V #Spain...... nice game!! 👍⚽️⚽️⚽️
— Ian Rush MBE (@Ian_Rush9) June 15, 2018
That’s why I love football, unscripted, unedited, pure emotion. Spain were incredible, Isco is a talent and Iniesta is still one of the best midfielders in the world. Love him or hate him Ronaldo is a goal scoring machine and dragged Portugal through that game. #worldcup
— Steve Watkins (@FootySteveDDG) June 15, 2018
So in group B:
— EuroGuy #teamNL (@EuroGuyXX) June 15, 2018
✔️ Morocco scored 1 goal,
✔️ Spain scored 3 goals,
✔️ Portugal scored 3 goals,
✔️ Iran scored 0 goals
and
Iran is leading in Group B of #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/HgxP7lU3yB
Anyone else watched 3 football matches back to back and still wishing there was more on? #WorldCup Fever
— Spencer FC (@SpencerOwen) June 15, 2018
We are watching a game that will live in the World Cup annals. That Nacho strike. The Diego Costa grit. And a Ronaldo hattrick in which he mustered the self-restraint to keep his jersey on the whole time. We are living in Days of Wonder. Good God I love the World Cup🙌
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) June 15, 2018
What a night. What a game!
(With AFP inputs)