Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in eight consecutive major international tournaments as he won and converted a fourth-minute penalty in Portugal's World Cup opener against Spain.
There was early drama in the glamour Group B match at Sochi's Fisht Stadium when Ronaldo went down under a challenge from Real Madrid teammate Nacho Fernandez, prompting referee Gianluca Rocchi to point to the spot.
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Ronaldo kept his cool to send David de Gea the wrong way with a spot kick into the bottom-right corner.
As a result, the Portugal skipper extended an unprecedented streak of scoring at major tournaments. Since finding the net at Euro 2004, he has gone on to grab goals at three further European Championships and four successive World Cups.
8 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player in history to score in eight consecutive major tournaments (World Cup, European Championships, Copa America). Legend. #PORESP #POR #WorldCup
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018
Ronaldo is also only the fourth player to score in four World Cups, following in the footsteps of Uwe Seeler, Pele and Miroslav Klose.
4 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the fourth player to score in four separate World Cup tournaments (also Pelé, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler). Greats. #PORESP #POR #ESP #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/9xi1WDlGYh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2018