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Reds in Russia: David De Gea has a night to forget

The Spanish number one concedes three including a howler in Spain's opener against Portugal

Portugal v Spain: Group B - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Portugal 3-3 Spain

It will go down as one of the best World Cup games in history, but David De Gea will look back without fond memories at the Iberian clash in Russia 2018. The Manchester United goalkeeper was on the receiving end of the Cristiano Ronaldo show, as the former Red scored a hat-trick to help his side recover a point in Group B.

Ronaldo hit early on in the tie, earning a penalty through some exquisite trickery in the box. The 33-year-old sent De Gea the wrong way and put Portugal 1-0 up after just four minutes.

However, Spain played their way back into the fixture enjoying massive amounts of possession and chances. Diego Costa leveled after 24 minutes with an impressive solo effort.

De Gea was quiet throughout the rest of the first-half, but Ronaldo would strike again moments before the break. Against the run of play, Portugal's captain hit a speculative effort from just outside the penalty area. What should have been a routine stop for Manchester United's Player of the Year, ended up squirming past him and gave the Portuguese side the lead once again.

News about De Gea's new 5-year-deal with Manchester United came out earlier in the day, yet his impressive season domestically was not portrayed in this World Cup opener for Spain. He was fairly quiet for the rest of the game, as Spain hit back twice to regain the lead through Costa and Nacho.

However, Ronaldo would have the last laugh after his scintillating free-kick in the 88th minute found the top right-hand corner, leaving De Gea rooted to the spot.

The game will be unforgettable for many reasons, yet De Gea will look to remove it from his memory as soon as possible. Next up for the Red's number one is a trip to Kazan to face IR Iran on June 20.