Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup 2018 goal: Real Madrid man makes history scoring Portugal penalty against Spain
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It took Cristiano Ronaldo just four minutes to open the scoring for Portugal against Spain in the 2018 World Cup, a routine goal that saw the Real Madrid man make history.
In Fernando Hierro’s first match in charge of Spain as interim manager it was Portugal who made the better start, dominating possession in the opening exchanges.
And the first moment of real drama came when Ronaldo attempted to dart past Nacho in the Spanish penalty box, only to trip over the player’s left leg.
Referee Gianluca Rocchi paused for a moment – before awarding a penalty kick to Portugal.
Of course it was Ronaldo who stepped up to take the spot kick, confidently belting the ball past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea to hand the European champions the lead.
And in opening the scoring – Ronaldo grabbed a slice of World Cup history.
His goal saw him become just the fourth man in history to score goals at four different World Cup finals.
Ronaldo scored once at the 2006 World Cup, netting the second goal in a 2-0 win over Iran.
He also scored once at the 2010 World Cup, against North Korea in a 7-0 win.
And in 2014 he hit the winning goal in a 2-1 win over Ghana.
The spot-kick also saw Ronaldo become the first man in international history to score goals in eight consecutive major tournaments.
It was the 33-year-old's 82nd goal for Portugal, in his 151st international appearance.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments