Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history with a stunning individual performance against Spain.
The Portuguese captain’s goals were the only shots on target the European champions managed to make in a thrilling 3-3 Group B opener in Sochi on Friday.
By opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the fourth minute, Ronaldo became the first player to net in eight straight international tournaments.
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David de Gea’s mistake gave Portugal’s star man his second of the game before the break and, although Diego Costa’s brace and Nacho Fernandez’s wondergoal put the 2010 champions in front, the Real Madrid star had the final say.
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
After winning a free-kick on the edge of the area, The Madrid forward bent in a 20-yard stunner that left De Gea motionless, writing yet more chapters in his personal history book.
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Ronaldo, 33, also became the first player to score a World Cup treble against Spain, while drawing level with Ferenc Puskas of Hungary on 84 international goals – only Iran icon Ali Daei has more with 109.
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