Portugal 3-3 Spain: 3 things we learned
By Liam Bekker
Portugal and Spain played out a thrilling 3-3 draw on Friday in what was the pick of the World Cup matches so far. Here are three things we learned.
Having sacked manager Julen Lopetegui just a day before the World Cup kicked off, Spain were always going to have their back against the wall in their opening match against Portugal. The 2010 Champions twice fell behind to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo but equalized on both occasions through Diego Costa.
A stunning effort from Nacho looked to have earned the Spaniards all three points before Ronaldo popped up with a later free-kick to complete his hat-trick and earn his side a share of the points.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to break records
Having scored a combined three goals at the three previous World Cup tournaments, Ronaldo doubled his record with a hat-trick of the highest order against Spain. In doing so he became the first player to score a hat-trick against the Spaniards at the World Cup and only the fourth in the tournament’s history to score at four separate finals – after Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose.
His hat-trick also took him to six goals and past Pauleta as Portugal’s second-highest goalscorer at the finals, though he remains a way off from the legendary Eusebio who scored nine. Most impressively though, the current Ballon d’Or holder has now scored 84 international goals, the joint most of all-time by a European player alongside Ferenk Puskas.
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2. Refined VAR system can be used effectively
In the instances of both of Diego Costa’s equalizers for Spain the Video Assistant Referee system (VAR) was called upon to determine whether or not there had been a foul in the build up to the goals. The system, which has come in for much criticism in the past, was used effectively and efficiently without the need to stop play and confirmed the referee’s on-field decisions.
Refined to intervene in the instance of clear and obvious errors, VAR was used seamlessly to investigate and adjudicate on any refereeing errors in the build up to Costa’s goals. The outcome was transmitted to the referee via headset timeously and without bringing play to a halt. Should the system be used successfully throughout the tournament it is likely that it will become a permanent fixture in the modern game moving forward.
3. Both teams should qualify for the knock-out stages
Drawn alongside Iran and Morocco in Group B, Portugal and Spain were both pre-tournament favorites to progress from their group to the knock-out stages. Iran came away with a last-gasp victory over Morocco earlier on Friday and will top the group at the end of the first round following Portugal and Spain’s draw.
Based on the performance of the the Iberian rivals though, Iran’s lofty position should be temporary. Both Portugal and Spain showed their quality in what was the match of the tournament so far and should be far too strong for the lesser opponents in their group. Anything can happen in soccer but it is almost certain that the pair will advance .