Portugal v Spain, 15 June 2018

Kick-off: 9.00pm local Portugal v Spain was Match 4 of the FIFA World Cup 2018. The refereeing team: Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (Italy) Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (Italy) Fourth Official: Ryuji Sato (Japan) Reserve AR: Toru Sagara (Japan) VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (Italy) This game took place two days after the sensational sacking of Spain manager Julen Lopetegui. He had been announced a day earlier as Real Madrid’s new manager without notifying the Spanish football federation (RFEF). He was replaced by Spain’s sporting director and former captain, Fernando Hierro. Portugal had now lost only one of their last ten World Cup group games (4-0 versus Germany in 2014). This was Spain’s first draw in their last 15 games at the World Cup finals (won ten). Cristiano Ronaldo’s 51st career hat-trick for club and country was also the 51st hat-trick scored in the World Cup finals. At 33 years and 130 days, Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup finals. The previous record holder was Netherlands' Rob Rensenbrink versus Iran in June 1978 (30 years and 335 days). Cristiano Ronaldo became the third player to score a hat-trick for Portugal at the World Cup finals (also Eusébio versus Korea DPR in 1966 and Pauleta versus Poland in 2002). Igor Belanov (USSR in a 4-3 defeat by Belgium in 1986) was the last player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup finals game when his team failed to win. The last player to score a hat-trick against Spain in any international game was Northern Ireland’s David Healy in a Euro 2008 qualifier at Belfast in September 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in eight consecutive major international tournaments.