SOCHI, Russia — Cristiano Ronaldo completed a hat trick with a perfectly taken free kick in the 88th minute to give Portugal a 3-3 draw against Spain on Friday at the World Cup.
Ronaldo had twice given Portugal the lead with first-half goals, but Diego Costa equalized for Spain with a goal in each half. Nacho Fernandez then put 2010 champions ahead with a one-timer from outside the area in the Group B match.
Spain looked to have successfully overcome its dramatic coaching change one the eve of the tournament but Ronaldo curled a late shot over the wall to force the draw.
Ronaldo’s opening goal from the penalty spot allowed him to become the fourth player to score in four World Cups, joining Pele, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler.
His second goal came after a blunder by Spain goalkeeper David de Gea, who let the ball bounce off his hands and into the net.
IRAN 1, MOROCCO 0: Aziz Bouhaddouz headed a free kick into his own net in the fifth minute of injury time to gift Iran a 1-0 victory over Morocco in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Only on the field as a 77th-minute substitute, the Morocco striker dived to reach a curling cross from the left but headed the ball past goalkeeper Monir El Kajoui.
There was an explosion of joy among the Iran squad, with coaching staff and substitutes sprinting onto the field and jumping for joy.
It was Iran’s second win in 13 matches at the World Cup, and Asia’s first since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
With Spain and Portugal the other teams in Group B, Friday’s match in St. Petersburg was regarded as a must-win game for the two outsiders.
URUGUAY 1, EGYPT 0: Jose Gimenez came to Uruguay’s rescue by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Egypt in Group A of the World Cup in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The Uruguay defender jumped in the area and headed home a free kick late in the 89th minute.
Russia leads Group A on goal difference after beating Saudi Arabia 5-0 on Thursday in the tournament’s opening match. Uruguay is now second, also with three points.
Egypt forward Mohamed Salah was on the bench for his country’s first World Cup match since 1990 after injuring a shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final. Salah was the Premier League’s player of the season after scoring a league-leading 32 goals, with 44 in all competitions.
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