Edinson Cavani Uses His Head, and Foot, as Uruguay Ousts Portugal 
A day that started with Lionel Messi being knocked out of the World Cup ended with his rival as the world’s best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, eliminated as well.
Uruguay beat Portugal, 2-1, in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday on two goals by Edinson Cavani, It advances to face France in the quarterfinals.
| Home | Game Info | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | Portugal | |
| Round of 16 | ||
Uruguay got on the board in a hurry with a spectacular sequence in the seventh minute. Cavani crossed the ball completely across the field to his attacking counterpart, Luis Suárez. He collected it, stutter-stepped a couple of times, then whipped the ball back to Cavani, who had raced to the goal. He finished the job with a header.
“There was a cross to the left, then a cross to the right — there is no scheme against that,” said Fernando Santos, Portugal’s coach. “Their strikers were very strong; one was there, the other one came from behind. That was an incredible play; they have never scored like that before.”
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Continue reading the main storyThat left Portugal in a tough spot as Uruguay had yet to surrender a goal in this World Cup. It went on the attack and got a series of chances, but could not get the equalizer until the second half.
It came in the 55th minute. Portugal took a short corner, then Raphael Guerreiro crossed the ball. Several Portugal players leapt, but it was Pepe who got his head to it and put it in the net.
Continue reading the main storyBut just seven minutes later, Uruguay was back on top. A misdirected header by Pepe gifted Uruguay a three-on-three break, and Cavani was left too open. He one-timed a pass from Nahitan Nández into the goal.
Portugal threw men forward, including, with seconds to go, its goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, but could not get another equalizer.
Uruguay, a nation of just three million, is now back in the last eight of the World Cup for the seventh time. And Ronaldo is headed for the exit.
In a show of sportsmanship, he helped Cavani off the field in the second half after the Uruguayan star injured his leg, and the crowd cheered the gesture. But nothing Ronaldo could do in the remainder of the game could truly rouse the fans again.
——
Here’s how Uruguay defeated Portugal:
96’: Last-Chance Corner
Portugal has sent its keeper Patricio into the box and he gets a head to it. But no. We’re well past the four minutes.
95’: Portugal Chance!
Quaresma from 10 feet … but it’s straight to the keeper and saved.
94’: Foul?!
Quaresma of Portugal really, really wants a foul called when he’s brought down outside the box by Stuani. The ref, who has let them play in this game, says No.
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Continue reading the main story91’: Ronaldo Shoots!
Here’s an update to frighten Uruguay fans: Ronaldo shoots. But it’s from far out and wide. Four minutes of added time.
88’: Uruguay Applying Pressure
Uruguay breaks two-on-one, but Portugal scrambles back on defense before they can get anything much going.
86’: Portugal Desperate
Fernandes figures he’ll try a shot from way out. It’s on net but saved. Portugal starting to look a little desperate.
84’: Ronaldo! Ronaldo?
He leaps high just in front of goal for a cross from Bernardo Silva, but it is just barely too high.
82’: Ball Not Where It Needs to Be for Portugal
A lot of midfield dueling at the moment. Time is not Portugal’s friend.
77’: Long Shot for Portugal
Guerreiro of Portugal from distance but he puts it over.
76’: Portugal Running Out of Chances
Ricardo Pereira puzzlingly puts a cross opportunity over the endline. Portugal needs to do a lot better.
72’: Cavani Limps Off
Edinson Cavani, two-goal scorer comes up limping. His rival Ronaldo supports him off the pitch in a nice show of sportsmanship that the crowd cheers. Stuani will replace Cavani for Uruguay.
70’: Another Portugal Chance
Uruguay keeper Muslera could not get control of a shot and chased it deep into his box. . That left Bernardo Silva with a shot at a clear net. He misfired. Good chance for Portugal.
68’: More Pressure
Portugal is throwing men forward, with the ball seldom straying far from Uruguay’s end.
65’: Portugal Threatening
Bernardo Silva scoots a dangerous ball through the box, but Torreira is there to boot it away for Uruguay.
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Continue reading the main story63’: Hero to Goat
Pepe, Portugal’s goal scorer, was the guilty party who misdirected that header that led to the goal.
Three goals by three unmarked players in PORvURU.
— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) June 30, 2018
62’: GOAL! Cavani Again!
A misdirected header gets Uruguay a 3-on-3 break, and Cavani is left too open. He one-times a pass from Nandez. Uruguay back on top, 2-1!
GOLAZOOO!! CAVANI GETS HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT! WHAT A CLINICAL FINISH!!#URU 2-1 #POR #URUPOR #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ok0cItyTOE
— FIFA World Cup (@WorIdCupUpdates) June 30, 2018
61’: Uruguay Is Recalibrating
It has been defensively focused for most of the game. In the meantime, Portugal remains on top with the better of the ball.
55’: GOAL Portugal! 1-1
A short corner, a Guerreiro cross and it’s Pepe who leaps for the headed goal.
GOAL!!! PEPE!! BULLET HEADER!#URU #POR #URUPOR #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/LERwK7aX4q
— FIFA World Cup (@WorIdCupUpdates) June 30, 2018
52’: Portugal Misses Again
Guerreiro tries a long shot for Portugal. Too high, too wide.
49’: Portugal Chance
Ronaldo gets the ball with a little bit of room to maneuver, which draws a yell from the crowd. A few passes later, Ricardo Pereira’s cross to a waiting Ronaldo is broken up.
46’: Second Half Underway
Will Ronaldo find a way?
Halftime
Lionel Messi was knocked out of the Cup earlier today. Ronaldo may follow in 45 minutes. Uruguay 1, Portugal 0.
Portugal chased the game for 40 minutes. That’s reflected in the stats: it led 8 to 4 in shots, and 60-40 in possession. But it failed to get a goal, and Uruguay remains on top.
45’: Chance for Portugal
Portugal takes a short corner and eventually the keeper Muslera gets to the ball instead of Pepe.
44’: Suarez Goes Down
Suarez goes down with a howl after taking a shoulder from Gurrreiro. The game goes on without him and Portugal gets a corner. The physio is on the pitch to have a look.
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Continue reading the main story39’: Ouch
Guedes of Portugal leaps for a ball but his header is errant and, worse, he smashes heads with Godin.
37’: Portugal Coming Up Short
Ronaldo calls for the ball, and Guerreiro tries to accommodate him, but he sends it into the box well short.
34’: Ronaldo’s Weird Shorts Thing
For those who don’t watch the game regularly who are puzzling over Ronaldo’s shorts: Yes, he likes to pull them up sharply at the sides on occasion. He did so just before that free kick, but it did not seem to help.
33’: Ronaldo Blocked
A vigorous objection from Uruguay to a foul on Bentancur. Free kick just outside the box and Ronaldo to take. But he drills it into the wall.
27’: Free Kick to Portugal
Bernardo Silva earns a free kick. William Carvalho whiffs on the header off it though.
23’: Suarez Shoots!
Uruguay gets a free kick from just outside the box. Suarez scoots it through the leaping wall and forces a diving, one-handed save.
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21: Foul?
Suarez collides with Guerreiro and goes down hard. He holds his head, but fails to draw a foul. Remember after his infamous bite, when he held his teeth as if he were the injured party?
19’: Chance for Portugal
Ricardo Pereira of Portugal crosses right along the endline, but it’s to the keeper.
14’: Uruguay on Offensive
Fonte of Portugal gets a foot in and foils Suarez by goal. That leads to a corner that goes nowhere.
12’: Portugal Chance
Portugal crosses it to Fonte in a dangerous position just in front of goal. He puts his hands on his defender, Vecino, to get more height, gets his head to the ball, and drills it far wide.
7’: GOAL! Uruguay Up 1-0
Cavani crosses the ball completely across the field, Suarez collects, stutter-steps a couple of times, then whips the ball … back to Cavani, who has raced to goal! He heads it in. Spectacular!
GOLAZOOOOO! CAVANI!!!! BEAUTIFUL CROSS FROM SUAREZ!#URUPOR #URU #POR #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/e48xw5r54f
— FIFA World Cup (@WorIdCupUpdates) June 30, 2018
Cavani got his first goal of the Cup in injury time of the last group game. Seven minutes later, he’s got another!
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Continue reading the main storyAndrew Das: Cavani starting that play on the touchline with a cross field ball to Suarez and getting the return at the post is some hard work right there. Longest give and go of the World Cup.
6’: Ronaldo Shoots!
Ronaldo tries out his shooting boots! It’s from outside the box though and straight to keeper Muslera.
5’: Getting Physical Early
They’re at it already! Godin pushes down Pepe. Just a talking to from the ref. Uruguay wastes a corner.
3’: Classic Ronaldo
Some of Ronaldo’s trademark fancy footwork leads to a series of bullet passes that lead to a good cross by Joao Mario followed by a bad header by Bernardo Silva.
0’: Kickoff!
Uruguay in sky blue, Portugal in white. We’re unlikely to see the seven-goal deluge of the early match, but we should expect a hard-fought match with two teams giving everything to win.
France Awaits the Winner
While we’re expecting a hard-fought contest today, either of these teams will be a decided underdog in its next match. That will be against France, which showed plenty of offensive firepower in its 4-3 win this morning. You can relive all the excitement here.
Another Big One for Ronaldo
If you think you’ve seen a lot of Ronaldo in big matches over the years, you are right. This is his 38th appearance at either a World Cup or European Championship. That ties Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany for the record.
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Continue reading the main storyThe Others
Beyond the big names, two more players to watch are Diego Godin of Uruguay and Pepe of Portugal. Soccer doesn’t have a tradition of ice hockey-style “enforcers,” but these guys come close, marking the other team’s star, tackling hard and sometimes stirring up trouble. Though Luis Suarez has the rep of the firebrand, it’s probably a better bet that Godin and Pepe will be in the middle of any brouhahas.
Which Suarez Will Show Up?
A glance at Luis Suarez’s stat sheet reveals 11 shots taken, 2 goals, and a big, glaring, surprising 0 by yellow cards. Yes, Suarez seems to be on his best behavior so far. This from a man who at previous World Cups bit an opponent and used his hand to stop a crucial goal (and boasted about it). Will the old Suarez emerge today? The stakes are, of course, a lot higher in the knockout stage. And there is the added frisson that Suarez plays for Barcelona, while the star of Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, plays for its archrival, Real Madrid
Uruguay Lineup
Goalkeeper: 1 Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray)
Defenders: 3 Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid); 2 Jose Maria Gimenez (Atlético Madrid); 22 Martin Caceres (Lazio)
Midfielders: 8 Nahitan Nandez (Boca Juniors); 14 Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria); 15 Matias Vecino (Inter Milan); 6 Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus); 17 Diego Laxalt (Genoa)
Forwards: 21 Edinson Cavani (Paris St Germain); 9 Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Portugal Lineup
Goalkeeper: 1 Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon)
Defenders: 6 Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang); 3 Pepe (Besiktas); 5 Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund); 15 Ricardo Pereira (Porto)
Midfielders: 23 Adrien Silva (Leicester); 10 Joao Mario (West Ham); 14 William Carvalho (Sporting); 11 Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Forwards: 7 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid); 17 Goncalo Guedes (Valencia)
A Rare Meeting
Portugal and Uruguay don’t face each other very often. In fact they haven’t done so since 1972, in something called the Brazil Independence Cup, which celebrated Brazil’s 150th anniversary. They drew, 1-1, and Portugal went on to lose the final to Brazil.
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Continue reading the main storyUruguay Is Perfect So Far
Three wins, no goals allowed. It beat Egypt and Saudi Arabia, then drilled a previously impressive Russian team, 3-0.
Portugal vs. Uruguay Top Story Lines
• For Portugal, this is a return to the knockout stage after disappointingly failing to make it there from a tough group four years ago. Uruguay has qualified for its third straight knockout round. In 2014 it lost to Colombia at that stage, 2-0.
Graphic
The Outstanding Goals of Ronaldo and Kroos as You’ve Never Seen Them
We have dissected the critical moment leading to each goal in order to fly you through the scene.
OPEN Graphic • After playing the game of the tournament, a 3-3 draw with Spain, Portugal beat Morocco, then was surprisingly held to a draw by Iran.
• Ronaldo had a hat trick in the Spain game and added a fourth goal against Morocco. He missed the chance to add to that total when his penalty was saved in Game 3. He trails Harry Kane of England by a goal in the race for the Golden Boot.
#POR #POR #POR
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 30, 2018
That training ground goal from @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/o4XOGP9gNv
• The Uruguay strike force of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani is rounding into form. Suarez scored in Games 2 and 3, and Cavani waited until injury time of the last game to get on the scoreboard.
• Another talented Uruguay duo is center backs Diego Godin and Jose Giminez, who along with keeper Fernando Muslera have kept their opponents scoreless. Giminez also had a goal in the team’s first game.
• This game is rated basically a tossup by bookmakers, although Uruguay is a very slight favorite.
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