Ronaldo scores hat trick, Portugal draws 3-3 with Spain

Cristiano Ronaldo used the World Cup to show everyone he’s the GOAT.

Ronaldo rubbed his chin after scoring minutes into Portugal’s opener against Spain, implying he is the Greatest of All Time. Then he scored two more goals, including a perfectly placed 88th-minute free kick that gave his team a 3-3 draw Friday.

Activist: Basque separatist group ETA to disarm by April 8

Basque civil society groups will fully disarm the separatist group ETA by April 8, a French environmental activist with ties to the Basque community promised Friday.

The militants announced a permanent cease-fire in 2011, but the governments of Spain and France have so far refused to take part in its disarmament because ETA tied it to the future of its militants, both in and out of jail. The two countries have demanded that ETA lay down its weapons without conditions and disband.

Spain's Princess Cristina found not guilty in tax fraud case

In a wide-ranging tax fraud case that captivated Spain, Princess Cristina was found not guilty Friday of being an accessory to fraud but her husband was convicted and sentenced to more than six years in prison.

A panel of judges ruled that Cristina, the 51-year-old sister of King Felipe VI, will be required to pay nearly 265,000 euros (over $280,000) in fines because the court considers that she indirectly benefited from the fraud.

Federer beats Nadal in epic Aussie final to win 18th major

So here was Roger Federer, down a break in the fifth set in a Grand Slam final. Across the net was his nemesis, Rafael Nadal, the left-handed Spaniard he hadn't been able to beat in a major final in almost a decade.

The 35-year-old father of four was back in his first tour-level tournament after six months off letting his injured left knee recover, and he hadn't won any of the big four events in tennis since Wimbledon 2012. Nadal was returning from injury, too, and somehow the pair had renewed the Roger-Rafa rivalry in a throwback Australian Open final that transcended sport.

Border guards in Spain find migrants hidden in suitcase, car

Guards on the border of Ceuta, Spain's enclave in North Africa, say they have recently detained one Moroccan suspected of attempting to smuggle migrants concealed in a suitcase and another suspected of hiding migrants in a car.

Custom agents found a 19-year-old migrant from Gabon hidden in a suitcase pushed on a trolley by a woman who tried to cross the land border from Morocco on Dec. 30, said a spokesman for the Guardia Civil in Ceuta.

Spain evacuates 9,000 from massive tire fire near Madrid

Spanish officials ordered 9,000 people evacuated Friday night from a large apartment complex after a raging fire at a sprawling tire dump sent spectacular, toxic clouds of black smoke into the sky.

About 8,000 apartment dwellers had already left their homes in Sesena, a central town near Madrid, as the thick smoke poured out from the fire that started before dawn, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha announced.

Two-time defending champion Wawrinka in Chennai semifinals

Stan Wawrinka advanced to the semifinals of the Chennai Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fifth-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain Friday.

The top-seeded Swiss, a two-time defending champion, fired 14 aces to set up a clash with third-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Paire also served 14 aces as he defeated Thomas Fabbiano of Italy 6-4, 7-5.

Spain's Mireia Lalaguna Royo wins Miss World title in China

Spain's Mireia Lalaguna Royo was named the winner of the Miss World 2015 competition Saturday night in the southern Chinese island resort of Sanya, an event dogged by controversy over China's refusal to allow Canada's entrant to attend.

Sofia Nikitchuk of Russia was the runner-up and Indonesia's Maria Harfanti took third place in the final following a lengthy competition featuring 114 women.

70th annual tomato battle leaves Spanish town red

More than 20,000 people have pelted each other in the street with tomatoes in this year's "Tomatina" as the Spanish event celebrates its 70th birthday.

ON THIS DAY: Spain finally wins the World Cup

On July 11 in history: A Late strike from Andres Iniesta helps Spain beat Netherlands to win 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg; Italy comfortably overwhelms West Germany to win 1982 World Cup in Madrid.

2 gored in 4th bull-run of Spain's San Fermin

A fighting bull gored two Spaniards and tossed several others into the air in a frantic fourth running of the bulls Thursday at Spain's San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

Netherlands thrashes Spain 5-1 in World Cup opener

Louis van Gaal, one of the game's greatest coaches, was criticized before the World Cup for being too defensive for a nation that loves attacking play.

His decision to field five defenders against Spain though, proved a masterstroke.

His team thrashed the defending world champions 5-1 Friday with a clinical display of counterattacking football that had Spain chasing shadows at the end as Dutch fans roared "Ole!" each time their team passed the ball.

"If you see how he prepared us, and how he predicted the game would go, and you see how it went - unbelievable," said Robin van Persie whose stunning header to equalize just before half time turned the tide of the match and lit up social media accounts around the world. "It went exactly as the entire technical staff predicted."

It was Spain's worst loss in the tournament since a 6-1 defeat to Brazil in 1950.

In the day's other matches, Chile beat Australia 3-1, leaving Spain at the bottom of Group B. In Group A, Mexico edged Cameroon 1-0 on a 61st-minute goal by Oribe Peralta to take second spot behind Brazil.

But it was the Dutch performance that shocked even casual fans on the second day of World Cup, showing why Manchester United was so keen to sign Van Gaal to rebuild the storied club.

He starts work at Old Trafford when the Netherlands leave Brazil. If they keep playing this way, he could keep Manchester fans waiting until mid-July.

The 62-year-old Dutchman has a history of getting the best out of teams and blending youth with experience, taking Ajax to the Champions League title in 1995.

He is bidding to make the Netherlands world champions for the first time after losing three finals - including four years ago when Andres Iniesta's extra-time goal won it for Spain.

It wasn't shocking for the Dutch to get revenge for that loss, but the way they demolished Spain - the dominant world football power since 2008 - sent a signal that the run of this generation of Spanish stars may be coming to an end.

Spain, which won the last two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, will probably have to beat Chile and Australia to qualify for the next round, where a likely date with favorite Brazil awaits.

"They were better than us in the second half, you have to recognize that," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. "It's a delicate moment for us. We need to find solutions now."

Spain showed flashes of its slick-passing, ball-control, "tiki-taka" style, but never recovered from Van Persie's masterful goal.

"The equalizer was very crucial at that point," Netherlands midfielder Jonathan de Guzman said. "I think we took advantage of that."

In the second half, Spain's usually rock solid defense crumbled in the face of wave after wave of Dutch attacks, many starting off of long passes from defenders.

Veteran goalie Iker Casillas shouldered the blame.

"It wasn't one of my best games, I wasn't at the level I needed to be," he said. "I have to accept all criticism."

Van Gaal always insisted his five-man defense wasn't as negative as it sounded, and he was proved right.

Left back Daley Blind surged forward to provide two pin-point accurate passes for assists - Van Persie's header and Arjen Robben's first goal. Center back Stefan de Vrij, who caused the penalty that gave Spain the lead, cropped up at the other end of the pitch to push in Wesley Sneijder's free kick for de Vrij's first international score.

Even Van Gaal was stunned by the margin of victory.

"To be quite honest, we did not expect it," he said. "This has got to do with strategy and the dedication of the players to execute with conviction."

Fitness also appeared to play a role in Spain's second-half collapse. While the veteran Spanish players tired, the Dutch still looked fresh despite the humidity at the Arena Fonte Nova.

Van Persie's header is an early contender for goal of the tournament.

As Blind's 40-yard pass sailed toward him, the striker glanced up and saw Casillas off his line and in no-man's-land. Van Persie dived full-length and sent a looping header over the stranded goalie and slid on his stomach on the wet grass before running to the sidelines with his fists clenched to exchange a high five with Van Gaal.

"Unbelievable," Van Persie said of the victory. "For the whole Netherlands, this is a dream come true."

Robben had a masterful goal of his own, reaching high to stop a long Blind pass with his left leg, cutting back quickly with his right as defender Gerard Pique spun out of position, and scoring with his left as Sergio Ramos dove toward him.

If Robben hadn't yet buried the memory of his crucial miss in the 2010 final - he helped Bayern win the Champions League in 2013 - his play Friday should do it.

"This is just pure enjoyment," he said. "I'm top fit this season and this is a beautiful confirmation of that."

By MIKE CORDER 

The Associated Press