Cristiano Ronaldo was in a usually selfless mood after scoring a historic hat-trick in Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Spain, choosing to laud his international team-mates after a stunning solo performance.
Ronaldo denied Spain’s interim manager Fernando Hierro from winning his first match in charge, scoring a free-kick in the 88th minute to complete a hat-trick and salvage a point for the reigning European champions.
Until that moment it looked as though Spain would seal all three points, after Diego Costa twice equalised before Nacho gave his side the lead with a remarkable long-range strike.
But Ronaldo was on hand to ensure the shares were spoiled and he afterwards paid tribute to Portugal’s team spirit.
“We tried to win. Spain had control of the ball, but the draw was a fair result,” he admitted.
“The team have sacrificed until the end. We were facing one of the favourites, we knew that it would be difficult.”
The Portugal captain added: “I always believe in myself, I work for this but I want to emphasise the response of the team.
“We must give credit to the team.”
