#Russia2018: Cristiano Ronaldo Deserves Some Accolades After Opening Match Heroics

Cristiano Ronaldo is a football magnate no doubt, and yesterday, he again showed himself true to the accolades.

As expected, the opening matches of the  world cup are always the most challenging, and it was no exception when the duo of Portugal and Spain met last night.
In a match that seemed to be a walk away for the Spaniards, the Portuguese announced that they were for something more, with a team spirit and uncommon patriotism that seem unconquerable.
The game began with an early penalty goal by Cristiano Ronaldo, following a slight contact with Nacho in the box eighteen. And then, the match became tougher, though the equaliser from former Chelsea striker, Diego Costa.
In the end, after a tight fight between the duo, the match ended in 3-3, with a brace from Costa and Madrid’s talisman and Portuguese skipper, Cristiano Ronldo, bagging a hat-trick; making him the first  player to achieve this feat in the tournament.
You can imagine everyone’s surprise when the match ended without a winner.
Perhaps Carlo Ancelotti was right then, of his comment before the Champions League final between Real Madrid FC and Juventus FC in 2017 that: “Madrid and Juventus are at par and so anybody can win the trophy. The only difference is that Madrid has a man who doesn’t want to lose any match, and that’s Cristiano Ronaldo”. Perhaps it’s this same winning mentality Ancelotti referred to in 2017 that made him to drag the match to a draw, (if there is no possibility of winning), by scoring a fantastic free kick in the last minutes, the crucial time that Portugal needed it most.