Portugal vs Spain player ratings World Cup 2018: Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa fly but David De Gea flops
It was goals galore in Group B in the best game of the tournament so far
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.Portugal and Spain played out the game of the tournament so far – a claim they may still have at the end of the tournament, given the excitement from start to finish as Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free-kick fittingly won the game for the Portuguese.
Ronaldo got the scoring started as early as the fourth minute when he won, and then scored, a penalty after Nacho’s clumsy challenge before Diego Costa fought his way through Portugal to get an equaliser.
An uncharacteristic error from David De Gea saw Ronaldo grab his second, but again it was Costa to cancel out the Portuguese lead.
Then came what looked to be Nacho’s atonement as it cannoned off both posts before nestling in the corner of the net.
But then came the moment Ronaldo claimed his hat-trick - the 51st of his career, the same number scored in the entire history of the World Cup - with a magnificent free-kick in the last minute.
Scroll through the gallery to see the full player ratings…
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments