Portugal 3-3 Spain: 3 things that went right for Portugal

The Iberian derby truly lived up to its expectations as Portugal and Spain played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Sochi. The game that was billed as THE tie of the group stage had everything to make it a thriller. At the end, honours were shared as group B became exciting with this draw.

Portugal took the lead twice on the night courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo. But Diego Costa was up to the task and scored a brace of his own. Nacho gave Spain the lead but it was destined to be Ronaldo's night as he scored a late freekick goal to equalize the match for his side.

Fernando Santos' men led the game at one point and then showed incredible temperament to claw their way back into the game. In this piece, we will take a look at the three key things that went right for Portugal against the mighty La Roja:

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#3 David De Gea's massive blunder

David De Gea's Rob Green moment

Spain's man between the posts is the best in the business at the moment. But after his performance against Portugal, his reputation has taken a hit. A minute away from halftime, Ronaldo took a shot straight at David De Gea.

The keeper was in perfect position to stop it comfortably. But the ball hit his glove and spilt into the back of the net. It was an unbelievable howler committed by a man that has set such high standards of goalkeeping at the club level.

That mistake gave Portugal the lead going into the break and at the end, proved to be the decisive factor between a win and a draw for the 2010 Champions. It turned out to be a Rob Green moment for the Spaniard which went on to give Portugal a massive advantage.

#2 Portugal's counter-attacking strategy

Santos' tactics bore fruit

It was obvious that Portugal will have the least share of possession against a team that is arguably the best in the world in that aspect. Santos set up his team in a 4-4-2 formation with two lines of four dropping deep and making it difficult for Spain to penetrate. Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Guedes started up front.

In the first half, Portugal had 32% of the ball but were still the more threatening side. It was because of their ability to counter-attack in numbers and with intent. Ronaldo rolled back the years with his blitzing runs and was helped by his midfielders who transitioned quickly and brilliantly.

Spain were exposed at the back far too many times in the game. Had it been for better decision making by Guedes and Bernardo Silva, Portugal would have got a comfortable lead in the first half itself. In the end, Ronaldo's clinical finishing got them to a praiseworthy result.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance

Ronaldo was truly unstoppable

The great man started the World Cup with a bang as he netted a treble and guided his nation to a morale-boosting draw against Spain. Ronaldo was absolutely unstoppable from the minute go and got on the scoresheet after just 3 minutes.

He drew Nacho into committing the foul and then emphatically smashed home the penalty. He doubled his tally on the night with a big help from De Gea. But there was no luck required for his third goal as the Real Madrid talisman scored a sumptuous freekick, giving absolutely no chance to the goalkeeper.

Ronaldo netted his 51st career hattrick which also turned out to be the 51st hattrick in the history of the World Cup. The forward is carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulder and looking at his antics against Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo is well up for the task to defy expectations and raise the bar of greatness higher than ever before.