Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are heading home after a brace from Edinson Cavani secured Uruguay a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
There have been all manner of arresting goals scored in this tournament but a pair of centre-forwards combining to convert what was effectively a 100-yard one-two for the opening goal provided a new category altogether.
90+ mins: Uruguay 2 Portugal 1
One last chance for Portugal. The keeper is up… of course, it is the keeper who gets up for the header from the corner. He cannot do anything with it. It said four minutes added but we’re coming up on six. Ref finally puts Uruguay out of their misery. Full time!
72 mins: Uruguay 2 Portugal 1
Cavani wants off. And he wants to do it as slowly as possible. Ronaldo sportingly helps him off. Alternative reading: Ronaldo manhandles him off to get the game going again!
GOAL! Uruguay 2 Portugal 1 (Cavani 61)
Uruguay have been under the pump. But they have composure, heart and skill. The ball is hit forward. Portugal have four in the backline to deal with the three attackers of Uruguay but Portugal have not got their set-up right at all here. Cavani is all alone our on the left there… he’s slipped the ball, he spots the opening, he opens up his body and he curls it home. Yes!
GOAL! Uruguay 1 Portugal 1 (Pepe 54)
Corner taken short, and now played in with a really superb cross, finally they have found a ball. Rare misjudgment from Godin, he moves towards Ronaldo – not unreasonably – but here is Pepe arriving unmarked. Great header! Goal Portugal.
Half time: Uruguay 1 Portugal 0
Impressive, professional stuff from Uruguay. They have the lead and it came from the half’s sole moment of real class, when Cavani and Suarez combined for two lovely long balls. Element of fortune in the finish, Cav tried to head it and it came off his neck or face.
Two defensive, able teams: you’d be surprised if there was more than one goal in the next 45. Ronaldo has not had much opportunity. FWIW I think England would fail to beat either of these.
45 min: Suarez is revived by the magic sponge. Portugal waste their corner. There will be two additional minutes of play in this first half.
33 min: Uruguay haven’t done a whole lot in attack since going ahead, but when they do press forward they look dangerous. Suarez bursts in from the left and nearly breaks through Portugal back line; Caceres and Nandez combine on the other flank and are very close to opening their opponents up.
21 min: Suarez zips towards the Portugal box, and is upended by Pepe. That’s a free kick in a very dangerous position, just outside the area. Suarez gets up, and very much likes the look of it.
GOAL! Uruguay 1-0 Portugal (Cavani 7)
This is simple, and so brilliant! Cavani, out deep on the right, launches a crossfield pass for Suarez on the left, and peels off. Suarez cuts inside, whips a high cross to the far post, where Cavani, romping infield, smashes a header into the top right!
The second match of the Round of 16 is a tasty one! Uruguay against Portugal at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi today. It is Cristiano Ronaldo vs Diego Godin. It is Luis Suarez vs Pepe. But it is so much more than that. It’s a South American giant battling against the reigning Euro champions. But it’s also the first big hurdle towards the ultimate glory: the World Cup.
Match Preview: It will be a fascinating battle with Ronaldo, at 33, enjoying his best World Cup but Uruguay the only side to come through the group stage in Russia without conceding a goal. Godin is an expert at keeping clean sheets, as the leader of an Atletico defence that is the most formidable in the European club game — they kept 34 in all competitions last season — and of an Uruguay side that has not conceded a goal in 2018 in six games.
Ronaldo, though, has already scored four times at this World Cup, including a hat-trick on his last visit here when Portugal drew 3-3 with Spain. That means he has 85 international goals, more than any other male European player in history.
In the last two years, he has scored two hat-tricks for Real against Godin’s Atletico, having also emerged victorious in two Madrid derby Champions League finals.
But the rugged and brave Godin, who needed reconstructive dental surgery after having three teeth punched out in an aerial challenge with Valencia’s goalkeeper earlier this year, has succeeded in muzzling Ronaldo on plenty other occasions at club level going back almost a decade.
“Godin is a star. He defends, commands, scores goals, wins titles, and does not miss a game,” said Diego Maradona recently.
Today, Gimenez is set to rejoin Godin in central defence after missing the 3-0 victory over Russia due to injury.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, will look to get back among the goals having had a penalty saved in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Iran. That, and the VAR-awarded late spot-kick for the Iranians, condemned the defending European champions to this tie rather than a meeting with the hosts in Moscow.
Portugal surely would have preferred that, for while Uruguay continue to produce tough centre-backs, they are by no means completely reliant on them.
Possible Line-ups
Uruguay (4-4-2): Fernando Muslera; Martin Caceres, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Diego Laxalt; Nahitan Nandez, Matias Vecino, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Bentancur; Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Portugal (5-3-2): Rui Patricio; Cedric, Pepe, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro, William; Adrien Silva, Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Mario; Goncalo Guedes, Cristiano Ronaldo.
