SOCHI, RUSSIA -- Three points from Portugal and Spain's remarkable 3-3 draw at Fisht Stadium in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sublime hat-trick. "One or two will ask why I said at half-time Ronaldo needs to work on free-kicks. The afterglow of a game like this can last for a couple of weeks, at least; on this stage, it can resonate around the world. "The game was about to end and we managed to equalise so we are happy. Ronaldo's three goals earn Portugal a point 
 
 For a guy whose deeds are so often defined by numbers, whether it's the fact that he has more goals than games for Real Madrid or the fact that nobody has more Ballon d'Or awards stashed away in his trophy cabinet, there was one that seemed out of sync before this World Cup began: three, as in the number of goals that Cristiano Ronaldo had scored in the World Cup to date. "It is extremely fortunate for whichever team has him, but I certainly would not change him for any of the players in my squad." Even as Julen Lopetegui's side romped through qualification to the World Cup, Diego Costa managed just nine appearances, lasting 90 minutes on just three occasions. Portugal's next Group B game is against Morocco on Wednesday at 13:00 BST, while Spain face Iran at 19:00, no doubt happy to see the back of Ronaldo, for now at least.
– Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one of the best soccer players ever, and he proved why on Friday. He scored three times, including one with about 2 minutes left in regulation, to lift Portugal into a 3-3 tie with Spain in their World Cup opener. The feat makes him, at age 33 years and 131 days, the oldest player to notch a World Cup hat trick, notes ESPN. He's also only the fourth player ever to score in four World Cups. Ronaldo's first two goals weren't perhaps of the write-home-about-it variety, including one that went in with help from Spain's goalie, but the third one was incredible, per the BBC. It came on a free kick, and you can watch it here. The New York Times' headline on all this refers to a "draw for the ages, starring a player for all time."