#WorldCup : Crazy Ronaldo hat-trick as Portugal and Spain draw 3-3 - Unbelievable match

Crazy draw as Cristiano Ronaldo becomes oldest to score World Cup hat trick
This means, of course, that Iran is in first place in Group B

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a dramatic hat-trick against Spain on Friday, bringing Portugal level at 3-3 in the dying minutes of their Group B clash in Sochi.

The Real Madrid forward opened his account with an early penalty before scoring again just before half-time. He completed his hat-trick with a magnificent strike from a free-kick in the 88th minute.

It was one of the most talked about matchups of the group stage. And we got one of the most entertaining World Cup matches in recent memory. In Group B, Spain and Portugal played out a wild six-goal thriller, with the teams drawing 3-3. Spain overcame a 2-1 deficit to take the lead in the second half before Cristiano Ronaldo completed his hat trick with a crazy late free-kick goal.  

Here's how it went down. 

Just four minutes into the game, Ronaldo tricked the referee into awarding a penalty kick on a non-foul from Nacho, and he put it away:


He draws the penalty and buries it to give Portugal an early 1-0 lead against Spain. #PORESP


Then 20 minutes later, Spain drew level with an absolutely wonderful goal from Diego Costa, who made some moves and found some space for a low rifle:


Then again, 20 minutes later, it was Ronaldo again, who put a shot on frame that David De Gea could not handle, with the first major goalkeeper blunder of the World Cup:


But again Spain had an answer. Ten minutes into the second half, it was Costa again, finishing off a beautifully-executed set piece in front of goal:

Spain's training-ground free kick ends up in the back of the net thanks to Busquets and Costa. 👏👏

Then, another quick punch. As Spain was dominating, it got another goal from Nacho who produced a delicious hit into the corner off the post three minutes later:



The defender makes up for his early mistake with a beauty to put Spain ahead 3-2.

But the last laugh would go to Ronaldo. Becoming the oldest player to score a hat trick in World Cup history, the 33-year-old got the equalizer in the 87th minute with an out-of-this-world free kick that left De Gea frozen:


Iran is in first place in Group B with three points. What a world. And so far, what a World Cup.

Top 10 Goals of the 1st week.. in Pics

1. Siphiwe Tshabalala’s score for South Africa in their June 11 opening match against Mexico blasted across the goalmouth and into the upper corner. It sparked a Macarena-like dance near the corner flag in front of the home crowd at Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium and inspired Archbishop Desmond Tutu to do a little jig in the stands.

2. Gabriel Heinze is the least-noted of Argentina’s stars. But in the sixth minute of the June 12 game against Nigeria, Heinze headed the ball just below the crossbar, giving the perennial World Cup favorite a 1-0 win. "I saw the cross coming and I didn't hesitate about using my forehead," he said afterward.

3. Maicon’s line-drive in the 55th minute against North Korea tucked in-between the goalkeeper and the post from what seemed an impossible angle. The Brazilian caught the goalie sleeping, but his shot still appears to defy the laws of physics. It gave Brazil a 2-1 win over North Korea on June 15.

4. Sometimes great goals are all about the assist. This was one of them. Brazil’s Róbson de Souza (known as Robinho), failed to score on half a dozen shots on goal. But he threaded the needle on a crisp, inch-perfect pass in the 72nd minute that removed about seven North Korean defenders from the play. Elano Blumer, known as Elano, had the clinical finish. Brazil won the June 16 match, 2-1.

5. Showing poise under pressure, South Korea’s Park Ji-sung gracefully wove through two Greek defenders and placed a soft chip above the keeper and into the goal. It was a “lovely, delicate, classy finish” in the words of ESPN’s announcer. It gave South Korea a 2-0 win in the June 12 match.

6. Striker Lukas Podolski's goal was one of four that Germany scored in its 4-0 route of Australia on June 13. But he got them off to their start, scoring in the eighth minute with a strong kick high into the net. Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer tipped the ball but couldn’t stop the rocket.

7. With so many goals in Germany’s 4-0 route of Australia, we’ve picked another highlight from that June 13 match. In the 26th minute, Germany striker Miroslav Klose leapt into the air above the goaltender and scored with a powerful header. Klose, who scored the goal that qualified Germany for the World Cup in a 1-0 win over Russia, now has 11 goals in three World Cup tournaments.

8. With 30 seconds remaining in the June 16 match against Slovakia, New Zealander Winston Reid headed a goal in injury time to tie the match. The 93rd-minute goal gave New Zealand its first non-loss ever in the World Cup. In the excitement he pulled off his shirt, which earned him a yellow card. "That was the most important goal of my life," he said afterward.

9. Mexico’s “The Little Green Pea,” as substitute Javier Hernandez is called, snuck his way past the French defense in their June 12 match, receiving a pass that left him alone to dribble around the goaltender and chip the ball home in the 64th minute. Mexico won 2-0, giving them a near-assurance of passing on to the next round.

10. Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuaín scored a hat trick in their 4-1 drubbing of South Korea on June 17. One goal was junk: a rebound off the sidebar. But two were crisp headers –one of them actually while facing away from the net. "It was good to see him make the most of the chances he had,” Argentina’s top player Lionel Messi said afterward.

Argentina shows the real power

Group B, 11:30 GMT, June 17, 2010
Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa


Argentina
4 - 1
South Korea

Gonzalo Higuain scored the first hat-trick at the World Cup since 2002 as Argentina all but assured themselves a place in the last 16 with an impressive victory over South Korea at Soccer City.

Scoring Summary

Argentina	South Korea
Park Chu-Young (og 16')	Lee Chung-Yong (45')
Gonzalo Higuaín (33')
Gonzalo Higuaín (76')
Gonzalo Higuaín (80')

Match Stats

Argentina

South Korea

19(9)	Shots (on Goal)	16(2)
19	Fouls	19
6	Corner Kicks	2
4	Offsides	0
62%	Time of Possession	38%
3	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
1	Saves	6

Match Information

Stadium:	Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
Attendance:	82,174
Match Time:	11:30 GMT
Official(s):	Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Man of the Match: Gonzalo Higuain

MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: Gonzalo Higuain - The Real Madrid forward missed a succession of chances in Argentina's opening game against Nigeria and his place looked to be in some doubt. However, Higuain responded with a deadly performance when scoring three predatory goals against South Korea, even if he was indebted to some expert service from his team-mates. After scoring 27 goals in Spain last season, he now leads the race for the Golden Boot.

Argentina verdict: This was theAlbiceleste at their sumptuous best in attack, with Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Higuain a constant threat to a cowering South Korean backline. Defensive concerns remain, particularly given an aberration from Martin Demichelis that allowed Lee Chung-Yong to score, but the lasting image will be a glorious fourth goal that was the best of the tournament so far. Forget those reservations about Diego Maradona as a coach - he appears to be getting the best out of this talented side.

South Korea verdict: A fine opening win over Greece looks a long time ago now after a performance that lacked belief. They were overawed by the Argentina attack and restricted to efforts from long range. South Korea remain tidy in possession, but they lacked the nous to exploit any weakness in the Argentina defence, Lee's goal aside. Will need to get this game out of their thoughts before their final game against Nigeria.

Could do better: Gabriel Heinze - As Argentina lit up the competition with a fine performance, it was left to Heinze to practice the dark arks as he repeatedly indulged in simulation and even had the audacity to moan at the referee when shown a yellow card for a blatant handball.

Stat attack: Higuain's hat-trick was the first in the World Cup since Pauleta scored three for Portugal in 2002 against Poland. It was Argentina's first since Gabriel Batistuta against Jamaica in 1998.