World Cup last 16 - Uruguay 2 Portugal 1: Cavani sends Ronaldo packing
Edinson Cavani scores twice to set up a quarter-final clash against France
Uruguay 2 Portugal 1
It was billed as a battle of the world-class strikers and it was Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani who shone in this World Cup last-16 encounter in Sochi.
Uruguay included Cavani and Luis Suarez in their side to face Portugal, while the European champions had Cristiano Ronaldo leading their attack.
It wasn’t long into the match before Cavani and Suarez partnered for the opening goal. In the seventh minute Cavani played a long ball to Suarez on the left and then Suarez crossed into the box for Cavani to score a wonderful header to give Uruguay the lead.
Defender Pepe equalised for Portugal after 55 minutes but just seven minutes later Cavani scored another superb goal to win the match for Uruguay. The double was Cavani’s 44th and 45th goals for his country.
However late on in the game Cavani limped off and the BBC reports that the PSG star told Uruguayan TV that he has a hamstring injury. Ronaldo helped Cavani off the pitch.
Uruguay will hope Cavani is fit for their quarter-final clash against France in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday.
Meanwhile, the 2-1 defeat marks the end of the World Cup for Ronaldo. The Portugal star had scored four goals in the tournament so far, including the superb hat-trick against Spain in the group stages. But after 514 minutes of World Cup knockout football he is still yet to score or get an assist.
