Ronaldo finally scores major tournament set-piece at 45th attempt

At the 45th time of asking, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free-kick for his country at a major international tournament.

Published : Jun 16, 2018 14:54 IST

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his duck of never scoring a free-kick at a major international tournament.

Ronaldo had taken 44 direct set-pieces at World Cups and European Championships before stepping up to strike a late dead-ball against Spain in Friday's Group B clash in Sochi.

The Portugal captain had already scored twice at the Fisht Stadium, a penalty and a drive that was fumbled in by David de Gea, but the Euro 2016 champions trailed 3-2 with only three minutes to play.

Ronaldo ensured the spoils were shared, though, picking out the top-right corner of De Gea's goal from 20 yards to complete his first World Cup hat-trick in stunning fashion.

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