Friday’s other Group B match:

That’s about it for tonight’s blog. In these extreme times we all tend to get carried away with the moment - but even in the distant future I reckon we’ll see this as a World Cup classic for the ages. Thanks for your company and emails, I’ll leave you with Sid’s match report. Night!

“Maybe not better,” begins Evan Crocker, “but USA 3-2 Portugal in 2002 was a watershed moment for US soccer and also completely bonkers.”

Good shout. And not even Nacho’s strike tonight was as good as Jeff Agoos’s own goal.

Give your eyes a Friday night treat

“Best group games,” begins Mike Buckley. “Thinking Scotland v Holland in ‘78 in Argentina. It was a cracker with that Archie Gemmil goal too.”

Ah yes, excellent shout. Spain 2-3 Nigeria in 1998 was another extremely good game. Italy 3-2 Brazil in 1982 is the greatest match ever played, but that was in the second group stage.

I’m trying to think of better matches in the first group stage. In my lifetime, the two that come to mind is Argentina 2-1 France in 1978, a classic with higher stakes than this game, and Ireland 0-0 Norway in 1994. Any other suggestions?

Any thoughts on the game? Thanks for your emails, most of which I didn’t get chance to read during the match.

Spare a thought for poor old Sid Lowe, who had to file a coherent report on that classic BEFORE THE FINAL WHISTLE. If I was in his shoes, I’d have written nothing but wibble. Thankfully, Sid is a bit more accomplished.

Player ratings latest “I gave Ronaldo a 1,” says Louis Taylor, “because he’s not a team player and I don’t like him.”

Here’s Sid Lowe’s match report:

Spain will be annoyed to have drawn a game they dominated, but when the dust settles they will reflect with pride on a superb performance. Isco was majestic, Nacho scored the goal of his life, and Diego Costa bulldozed a couple of goals. Any doubts about whether they can win the tournament have gone.

Before you go, why not give your player ratings for the game? If you give Ronaldo less than 11, you need to have a word with yourself.

It’s important not to get carried away with how good that match was. It was only one of the greatest group matches in World Cup history. It had almost everything; most of all, it had a hat-trick from the monstrous Cristiano Ronaldo.

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The World Cup? Bloody hell.

90+3 min Ronaldo has run himself into a state of exhaustion. I think he has cramp.

90+2 min Quaresma almost wins it for Portugal! He collected a crossfield pass on the left, danced sweetly past two players and hit a low shot that was brilliantly blocked by the sliding Busquets. I think it was Busquets, anyway. Whoever it was has probably earned Spain a point.

90+1 min It’s Portugal on the attack, with one corner leading to another. If Ronaldo scores again, we might as well call off the World Cup and give him the trophy now.

90 min There are four minutes of added time.

89 min When Ronaldo dies he should donate his brain to the Fifa museum, because his mental strength is entirely beyond comprehension.

It was a glorious free-kick, curled around the wall and into the right-hand corner of the net. That is astonishing. Before the free-kick, he was inhaling and concentrating as if he was about to take a penalty, not a free-kick from 25 yards. It’s spine-tingling stuff. His mental strength is off the charts.

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He’s only effing done it!

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87 min Pique fouls Ronaldo 25 yards from goal, slightly to the right of centre. I wonder who’ll take this.

86 min Spain make their last substitution, with Lucas Vazquez replacing the excellent David Silva.

84 min Portugal are struggling to get the ball, never mind keep it. Ronaldo is getting increasingly frustrated at the imperfections of those around him.

82 min Tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka until Aspas mishits a shot through to Patricio from the edge of the box.

81 min Spain have this match under control. Portugal have spent most of the game chasing the ball in fierce heat and they look shattered.

80 min A last change for Portugal: Andre Silva replaces Goncalo Guedes.

79 min A long ball from Cedric invites Ronaldo to hare behind the defence. He is about to shoot and/or clatter into the outrushing De Gea on the edge of the box when Pique comes from the side to make a superb tackle.

77 min Another change for Spain: Iago Aspas replaces the irresistible Diego Costa.

76 min Quaresma waves an extravagant shot over the bar from the right edge of the box.

75 min Portugal are struggling to lay a glove on Spain, with or without the ball. It’s been such a good game but Spain’s superior class is really starting to tell.

72 min A short corner is played to Joao Moutinho, whose deep, lofted cross is headed back beyond the far post by Fonte. Ronaldo keeps it in play but Spain clear. Fonte might have done better there.

71 min Diego Costa misses a good chance for a hat-trick, mishitting a first-time shot wide from Jordi Alba’s crisp cutback. The chance came at the end of another delightful move. On this evidence, Spain are in the top group of contenders with Brazil and Germany. They have been wonderful.

70 min Spain make their first change: Thiago Alcantara replaces Andres Iniesta, who played very well. A hat-tip to the man who said before the game that Iniesta should be subbed after 70 minutes.

69 min Another Portugal change: Ricardo Quaresma replaces Bernardo Silva, who didn’t see much of the ball.

69 min “Re: Diana Ross and the Supremes,” begins Liam Murray. “I seem to recall Diana Ross eventually dropped her second-rate colleagues and doing everything on her own. It’s the inevitable next step for CR7.”

68 min Portugal make their first change, with Joao Mario replacing Bruno Fernandes.

66 min For the first time in the match, Spain have retreated. It’s human nature, I guess, but with the way they are playing they could kill this game pretty quickly.

64 min I wonder how Julen Lopetegui feels tonight. He should be extremely proud of this brilliant Spain performance, but he probably can’t go there just yet.

63 min Bernardo Silva is very lucky not to be booked for a cynical pull on Isco. The referee played a good advantage but should have gone back to book Silva. Isco has been utterly brilliant.

62 min “What I’m enjoying most about the World Cup is, watching my 6 year old son falling in love with football.,” says Matt Dony. “He’s been so excited, and asks non-stop questions about players. The best part of this is the fact that he’s still young enough to have complete trust in me (the fool!) As such, I have explained that Ronaldo is objectively the best footballer in the world, and the Messi apologists are simply wrong.”

This will be one of the goals of the tournament, even if we play until the year 2027. With Portugal under all kinds of pressure, a desperate defensive clearance hit Carvalho and rebounded across the edge of the box. It bounced up awkwardly for Nacho, who cut across the ball to swish a spectacular shot that clattered off the inside of the far post and into the net. The technique was perfect, with the ball whistling just above the ground all the way into the net.

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Nacho gives Spain the lead with a stunning goal!

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