Portugal hold Spain 3-3 in World Cup thriller
The Real Madrid star got the equalizer for Portugal with two minutes left in regulation, delivering a superb free kick that left Spain goalkeeper David De Gea with no chance.
For Spain, who came from behind twice to take a 3-2 lead into the final 30 minutes, the draw felt more like a defeat, especially given their inspired performance following a tumultuous few days marked by an abrupt change in coaches on the eve of the tournament.
The new coach, Fernando Hierro, only joined the team this week in the wake of the firing of Julen Lopetegui after the disclosure that he would leaving the national team after the World Cup to manage Real Madrid.
Despite the off-field drama, the Spanish were poised in Friday night's match at Fisht stadium in Sochi, even after a foul by Nacho on Ronaldo resulted in a penalty and Cristiano converted from the spot to make it 1-0 in the 4th minute.
Spain worked their way into the contest and the equalizer came 20 minutes later, courtesy of Diego Costa, who snatched the ball from Pepe and eluded two defenders before blasting the ball past Portugal keeper Rui Patricio.
The 2010 World Cup champions went on to dominate possession and looked likely to get the next goal until a rare De Gea mistake set up Ronaldo's second goal of the night, making it 2-1 for Portugal with a minute left in the first half.
Undaunted, the Spanish forged on after the break and pulled level again in the 55 minute, as Costa redirected a Sergio Busquets header into the Portugal net.
Spain took the lead just three minutes later on a thunderous volley by Nacho and were seemingly in command of the match until the 87th minute, when an ill-advised foul on the edge of the box set up a free kick for Portugal and Ronaldo worked his magic.
The outcome leaves Spain and Portugal tied for second in Group B with a point apiece. Iran lead the group with three points after edging Morocco 1-0 earlier Friday.