World Cup 2018: Portugal 3-3 Spain; Player Ratings

Portugal (Ronaldo 4',44',88') 3-3 Spain (Diego Costa 24',55', Nacho 58')

Portugal and Spain played out a thrilling and nerve-racking 3-3 draw in their opening Group B match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Sochi. It was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who got the scoring started as he scored a first-half brace whereas Diego Costa pulled one back in the opening 45 minutes.

The flurry of goals continued in the second half as Costa and Nacho scored in the span of three minutes to give Spain the lead before it was cancelled out by a late Ronaldo goal as the game ended with both teams sharing the spoils.

On that note, here is a look at the player ratings:

Portugal

Rui Patrício - 6/10

Patricio faced six shots on target and frankly, it is hard to hold him responsible for any of the goals as there wasn't much he could do to deny Diego Costa and Nacho.

José Fonte - 5/10

The former Southampton man had a difficult night in central defense and struggled against Costa.

Pepe - 6/10

Pepe was left in shambles when he was beaten by Costa to Spain's opening goal. He expected the foul to be rewarded in Portugal's favour but play continued on and the Spanish equalized.

Raphaël Guerreiro - 7/10

Guerreiro balanced his workload perfectly, making excellent runs forward on the left hand as he attempted five crosses and also tracked back, being present at the right time to help out in defence, as he put in multiple successful tackles.

Cédric Soares - 6/10

The right-back had a mixed game, doing his fair share of work on the offensive end and was busy throughout the net while getting back as he had to take care of Isco that took a toll out of the 26-year-old.

William Carvalho - 7/10

Carvalho did a decent job in midfield as he made important recoveries and passed the ball at an accuracy of 90% as he played in one key pass and three successful long balls along with two neat tackles.

João Moutinho - 7/10

The veteran midfielder put in an excellent all-round shift, being the man in midfield who distributed the passes and created the link in channels for the attackers and equally, had a good defensive outing.

Bruno Fernandes - 6/10

Fernandes looked very limited on the night as he did not get much of an opportunity to fully express his potential on the attacking end except for providing the burst of pace during the counter attacks before being taken off after 67 minutes.

Bernardo Silva - 6/10

Like Fernandes, Silva too was limited on his wing play as he was unable to produce much support for Ronaldo except a couple of instances here and there prior to his substitution in the 68th minute.

Gonçalo Guedes - 7/10

Guedes provided the assist for Ronaldo's and Portugal's second goal in the first half. He had a great opportunity to increase his side's lead in the opening 45 on the counter-attack but recovery from the Spain defence ruined the whole pass and play.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 10/10

Portugal's talisman got running early, first earning the penalty and then calmly converted from the spot to give his team the lead after just three minutes. Luck too was on his side when a blunder from the Spanish goalkeeper rewarded Ronaldo with his second.

The Real Madrid Superstar worked his socks off, scored a stunning free-kick to equalize in the 88th minute an rescue his side from the jaws of defeat.

Substitutes

Joao Mario - 5/10

Coming on with over 20 minutes left, Mario did not have sort of impact in the game.

Ricardo Quaresma - 6/10

Quaresma did create some sort of spark replacing Bernardo Silva on the right as he took on two shots and completed two dribbles.

Andre Silva - N/A

Took the place of Guedes in the 79th minutes.

Spain

David De Gea - 4/10

De Gea's unexpected howler allowed Ronaldo to return the lead in his side's favour as Portugal gained advantage and momentum after they went ahead.

Sergio Ramos - 7/10

Ramos was prolific in the center of defense as his veteran leadership and experience played a vital role making it hard for Portugal to break through the Spanish backline.

Gerard Piqué - 7/10

Pique worked and communicated excellently in tandem with Sergio Ramos as the Barcelona defender had a solid first game of the World Cup, winning three aerial duels and making three clearances respectively.

Jordi Alba - 6/10

Alba disappointed going forward as he couldn't provide Diego Costa with much service through his crosses and wing play despite playing in two key passes and was carelessly caught offside once.

Nacho - 7/10

Nacho was at fault for conceding a penalty early on during the game as his stretched leg brought down Ronaldo, which was enough for the referee to make the decision against him.

A questionable starter on the right ahead of Dani Carvajal and Cesar Azpilicueta, Nacho bounced back very well from his error early on, being present in the box making tackles and clearances which was later capped of by a stunning strike to put Spain in the lead in the 58th minute.

Sergio Busquets - 7/10

The ever-reliant Busquets was magnificent in midfield, commanding the game on both ends and then later providing the assist for Spain's equalizer in the second half.

Andrés Iniesta - 6/10

The maestro hardly put a foot wrong and seemed to have a great understanding with David Silva in the middle of the park. Iniesta made two key passes and two dribbles before coming off in the 69th minute to a very warm reception.

David Silva - 7/10

The Manchester City man took his chances at goal, as he had three attempts but none of his shots were on target. Similarly, he played in some great passes that helped improve Spain's build-up play and link up with Costa as the game moved forward.

Koke - 4/10

Koke did not have much of an influence on the game playing out wide. He was dispossessed twice and seemed to lack the cutting edge as his service to Costa and others was not up to the mark as he failed to complete many crosses and long balls into the box as he went missing for a good chunk of the game.

Isco - 8/10

Isco troubled Portugal's right back Cedric all throughout the game and looked in fine touch with his dribbling, making charging runs into the box as he created a couple of chances for himself and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when he rattled the crossbar but the ball could not cross the goal line.

Diego Costa - 9/10

Costa lacked service in the opening 20 minutes of the game but after scoring his first goal, the Atletico man became rejuvenated.

He had the fewest touches of all the starting Spanish outfield players but created the maximum impact as his two goals nearly gave the La Roja three points in their first game.

Substitutes

Thiago - 6/10

The Bayern man provided a much-needed lift in energy after coming on for the last 20 minutes and more.

Iago Aspas - N/A

Replaced Diego Costa in the 76th minute and had one shot on target.

Lucas Vazquez - N/A

Took the place of a tired David Silva in the final stages of the game.