World Cup LIVE: Portugal vs Spain latest score, Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa goals

Portugal and Spain get their World Cup campaigns underway with the Iberian derby at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

Spain’s World Cup build-up has been dominated by shock sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui and appointment of stand-in coach Fernando Hierro.

The developments have completely overshadowed preparations for tonight’s game against European champions and neighbours Portugal, which had been one of the stand-out clashes of the group stages.

Portugal are aiming to do something that only three teams have ever done before by winning the World Cup immediately after winning the Euros.

PORTUGAL 1-1 SPAIN – RONALDO (4), COSTA (23)

Portugal XI: Patricio, Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro, Carvalho, Moutinho, Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Goncalo Guedes, Ronaldo.

Spain XI: De Gea, Nacho, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets, Koke, David Silva, Isco, Iniesta, Costa.

PORTUGAL 1-1 SPAIN

39: Ronaldo doesn’t look happy. He’s been throwing his arms up in frustration with the way his side are playing. It’s not that Portugal are playing badly, it’s just Spain have shifted through the gears with ease.

37: Close! Iniesta is a few inches from giving Spain the lead. He tip-toes his way past a couple of challenges before dragging it wide.

35: Diego Costa is winning some praise from the Spain fans having tracked back the length of the pitch to win the ball back.

32: Even the referee is puffing his cheeks after that flurry of activity. Looks knackered to me.

Anyway, the tempo has settled a little bit but Portugal are finding things difficult. They are chasing shadows as Spain tighten their grip.

29: Danger! Spain are running rot now. Bruno Fernandes trips Nacho to earn a caution and David Silva hits the free-kick straight into the wall.

26: What is happening here?! Seconds after Spain equalise, Isco thinks he’s grabbed the lead with a thunderbolt.

His shot slams against the underside of the bar, bounces off the line and Portugal somehow scramble it away to safety.

PORTUGAL 1-1 SPAIN – COSTA

23: Diego Costa is an absolute beast. Why on earth did Chelsea allow him to leave?!

The Spanish striker has pulled his nation level with a stunning solo effort. It’s vintage stuff from the Atletico Madrid striker, who bullies three defenders before pinging it home.

The referee checks VAR to see if there was a foul in the build-up. Nothing given and the goal stands.

PORTUGAL 1-0 SPAIN

22: Cristiano Ronaldo slaps his thighs with anger. And rightly so. It’s another superb counter-attack from Portugal with CR7 unselfishly laying it back for Guedes, whose first touch is absolutely abysmal.

This is an absolute belter folks. A belter.

21: Sergio Busquets booked? Surely not… The Spanish midfielder is shown a yellow card for dragging back Goncalo Guedes.

Ronaldo decides that it’s within shooting range and nearly takes Sergio Ramos’ head off with the shot.

18: Never convincing. Portugal turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye. Cristiano Ronaldo flicks a cute clearance to Goncalo Guedes, who runs the length of the pitch but can’t escape Sergio Ramos.

15: Spain have improved over the last five minutes with more possession but they’ve not created anything to trouble Rui Patricio.

12: Chance! The ball falls kindly for David Silva inside the penalty area but his left leg slipped and he skewed it miles over the bar.

9: Spain might want to consider livening up here. They’ve been really flat in the opening stages with even Iniesta struggling to complete passes in the middle of the park.

PORTUGAL 1-0 SPAIN

6: Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player in history to score in eight consecutive major tournaments (World Cup, European Championships, Copa America).

PORTUGAL 1-0 SPAIN – RONALDO (PEN)

3: It’s Cristiano Ronaldo vs David de Gea. That’s a pretty high quality battle. The Real Madrid star sets up… goal! De Gea is sent the wrong way as Ronaldo curls it into the top right-hand corner.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the fourth player to score in four separate World Cup tournaments (also Pelé, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler).

PENALTY TO PORTUGAL

2: Oooooh, Cristiano Ronaldo might not be welcome back to the Bernabeu having gone down under a soft challenge from Real Madrid team-mate Nacho.

1: Portugal are straight out the blocks with a couple of nice attacks. They look bright folks.

PORTUGAL 0-0 SPAIN

1: OK, the national anthems are done, Cristiano Ronaldo has puffed his chest out and Sergio Ramos has figured how to make injuring him look like an accident. Joke!

I’d better just get this started. We’re underway!

TWITTER ROUND-UP

Jason: World Cup rules dictate that games like Iran vs Morocco will always be a thousand times more fun to watch than Spain vs Portugal.

Karen: Daughter finished her GCSEs today. So pizza, Prosecco and Spain vs Portugal!

Lewis: Portugal vs Spain has a draw written all over it. Neither team need to win this game to qualify.

‘STRANGE DAYS’

18:45: Cesc Fabregas, not selected by Julen Lopetegui, is a BBC pundit this evening.

Why he’s arrived dressed as a pilot, you’ll have to ask him yourself.

Asked about the last couple of days, the Chelsea midfielder said: “It has been a strange couple of days, we don’t really know 100% the details but Julen signed a new contract recently and then he signed for Real Madrid. From a players’ point of view, maybe it’s not ideal because you want stability and less problems in your head, but I believe in the ability of the players.”

Bet he wishes Lopetegui was sacked a few weeks ago…

RONALDO vs RAMOS

18:35: I don’t know about you guys, but I’m only here to watch Cristiano Ronaldo vs Sergio Ramos.

The positives are that you either get to see Sergio Ramos lose OR you get to see Cristiano Ronaldo lose…

I can hear Real Madrid president Florentino Perez dying of anxiety in Madrid as we speak.

JOSE MOURINHO: THIS SHOULD NOT AFFECT SPAIN

18:30: Jose Mourinho, fresh from his chinwag with Vladimir Putin, doesn’t think Spain’s managerial rollercoaster will make a blind bit of difference tonight.

“I think it’s a strange situation,” Mourinho told Russian television. “I don’t know if Spain sacked the manager of if the manager sacked himself with the way everything happened between himself and Real Madrid.

“I feel sorry for the manager of course because he went with the team for the last two years and of course he would deserve to be with the team, but I also understand the position of the federation. They just gave him a new contract for the future.

“The fact that it’s not Lopetegui on the bench and it’s Fernando Hierro honestly I don’t think is going to make a huge difference, because the players, they pick themselves.

“They are so good, the team is so good, so automatic, that I don’t think it’s a huge problem for them.”

VAMOS RAMOS

18:25: My Spanish isn’t great but I understand enough to know the headline above makes very little sense. It rhymes though…

Anyway, Sergio Ramos joked Spain’s World Cup build-up had become like a funeral after the shock sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui.

Captain Ramos and stand-in coach Fernando Hierro were questioned numerous times about the remarkable situation.

“I want to say goodbye with a smile because it seems like we are at a funeral,” Ramos said as he answered what reporters had been told would be the last question of a 17-minute press conference. “Tomorrow a World Cup starts for Spain and I think this is wonderful.”

Mic drop.

TWITTER ROUND-UP

Kev: Have to say I’d be more encouraged to bet on Spain if they started Thiago and Rodrigo over Koke and Diego Costa. Really liking the offensive line-up from Portugal.

Alan: These World Cup games have been horrible so far. Hard to watch. Hopefully Spain vs Portugal changes that.

Manu: Spain v Portugal at tournaments has always been a damp squib. This won’t be different. Expect a boring 1-0 win for either side.

LATE DRAMA…

18:10: Will this be dubbed the World Cup of stoppage-time goals?

Granted, it’s not a very catchy phrase but it’s appropriate given the first three games.

First Russia scored twice in added time, then Jose Gimenez nets a late winner for Uruguay, and now Morocco’s Aziz Bouhaddouz has scored an incredible 95th-minute own goal to give Iran a historic World Cup win.

TEAM NEWS – PORTUGAL

18:05: Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Portugal but his regular partner Andre Silva will have to settle for a place on the bench.

PSG’s 21-year-old Goncalo Guedes gets the nod ahead of the AC Milan star.

Jose Fonte partners professional wind-up merchant Pepe at the back with Southampton’s Cedric at right-back with Raphael Guerreiro on the other flank.

TEAM NEWS – SPAIN

18:00: Stand-in Spain coach Fernando Hierro has named everyone’s favourite pantomime villain Diego Costa in his line-up.

Costa got the nod to lead the Spain attack, while Premier League pair David De Gea and David Silva are also named in the starting XI.

Nacho is picked at right-back with Dani Carvajal still sidelined by a hamstring injury. Sergio Busquets overcomes a stomach upset to start in midfield.

GOOD OR BAD?

17:55: Spanish fans arriving in Sochi for their opening World Cup match against Portugal are split on whether their managerial turmoil will affect the side’s chances.

“We are now expectant rather than confident. Today all will be revealed,” said Spanish fan Javier Rojo. “Today we’ll find out if they are up for it. I am sure they will be affected but I don’t know if it will affect their performances. This game will tell us what we need to know.”

“I am angry with Lopetegui, I am angry with the president of Real Madrid, and I am angry with the president of the Spanish football association for the way they all handled this,” said Manuel Jose Sanchez, a Real Madrid fan from Salamanca.

“The feeling is that they made us a laughing stock. There were lots of other ways out of this and they chose the worst option.”

HAVE YOUR SAY

17:50: If you want to vent your frustrations, or discuss any issues in the world of football (within reason), then get in touch!

You can either comment at the bottom of the page or contact me via Twitter using the hashtag #ExpressSport.

WELCOME

17:45: Hello everyone, welcome to our LIVE coverage of the World Cup.

We crawled our way through Uruguay’s victory over Egypt, we slept through Morocco’s 1-0 defeat to Iran and we even survived the unwelcome return of the Vuvuzela.

Surely we’ll be rewarded with an absolute scorcher between two potential World Cup winners tonight, right?