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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
How Twitter reacted to Uruguay’s win against Portugal
-
The IDF's manpower problemThe Explainer Israeli military's shortage of up to 12,000 troops results in call-up for tens of thousands of reservists
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 – 22 AugustQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Can Soho House get its edge back?Talking Point The private members' club has lost its exclusive appeal – but a £2 billion buy-out could offer a fresh start
-
The cult of Cristiano Ronaldo at 40Talking Point Highest-paid football player in the world still has epic goals in his sights
-
Where will Cristiano Ronaldo go next?feature Portugal captain has been linked with a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia
-
Reactions to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘explosive’ interview with Piers Morganfeature Portugal captain feels ‘betrayed’ by Man Utd and believes he’s being forced out of the club
-
What next for Cristiano Ronaldo? How the relationship with Man Utd turned sour
Under the Radar Portugal star has ‘almost certainly’ played his last game for United as he is dropped for Chelsea clash
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assaultSpeed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
-
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi: how their stats compare on goals, career stats and awardsIn Depth Portugal star scores 900th career goal but both are facing the challenges of passing time
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pantsSpeed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
-
The Ronaldo effect: what big players mean for the finances of major football clubsfeature Manchester United hoping to cash in big after securing the Portuguese star’s signature on two-year contract
