Mitch Freeley

Edinson Cavani scored twice as Uruguay shattered Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream with a 2-1 victory over Portugal here Saturday.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani curled home a superb 62nd-minute winner to settle a thrilling second round duel in Sochi which sends Uruguay into a quarter-final against France next Friday. 

Cavani had already put Uruguay in front early on, only for Pepe to head Portugal level in the 55th minute in a thrilling contest that was not the battle of attrition many predicted.

Pepe's goal was the first time the South Americans' defence had been breached in this tournament, but they stood firm after that and are beginning to look like genuine contenders moving into the latter stages in Russia.

The only downside for Oscar Tabarez's side was the sight of Cavani limping off late on, raising a question mark over his fitness for next week's last eight showdown with the French in Nizhny Novgorod.

Meanwhile, European champions Portugal go home, as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi bow out of the competition on the same day.

In contrast, Uruguay march on with arguably the best defence in international football and one of the best strike pairings anywhere.

Suarez and Cavani combined brilliantly for the seventh-minute opener on Russia's Black Sea coast.
Cavani picked out Suarez on the left with a cross-field ball, before continuing his run into the penalty area and meeting the Barcelona striker's return delivery at the back post, the ball smacking off his face and flying in.                  

Pepe breaches Uruguay defence                                     

Suarez almost doubled the lead from a free-kick midway through the first half that forced a good save from Rui Patricio.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo did not touch the ball once in the opposition area in the first period. But with Uruguay sitting back, Portugal did equalise 10 minutes into the second half.

A corner was played short to Raphael Guerreiro, and his cross from the left was headed home from close range by Pepe, rising high above Diego Godin in the area.

After nearly five and a half hours of football, it was the first goal Uruguay had let in at this World Cup -- indeed it was the first they had conceded in 2018.

But their response to that was magnificent as they went quickly retook the lead, Rodrigo Bentancur teeing up Cavani for a magnificent first-time curling strike into the far corner on his right foot.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos threw up his hands in disgust, realising that coming from behind a second time against this Uruguay defence was going to be a tall order.

Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera did almost gift them another equaliser, dropping a high ball at the feet of Bernardo Silva, but the Manchester City man could only volley over.

Cavani then had to be helped off by Ronaldo before watching the rest of the game from the dugout with ice on a calf injury.

His side held out, and if he recovers, Cavani can now look forward to coming up against his Paris Saint-Germain strike partner Kylian Mbappe, so impressive for France against Argentina.

But Mbappe is unlikely to find the Uruguayan defence so accommodating.

Uruguay sent Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal crashing out of the World Cup on Saturday as a pair of stunning goals from Edinson Cavani gave the South Americans a 2-1 victory.

It means that the world's two top footballers have exited the tournament on the same day, after Lionel Messi and Argentina were knocked out by France.

Live Updates

Videos

62' Goal! Uruguay 2, Portugal 1. Edinson Cavani

55' Goal! Uruguay 1, Portugal 1. Pepe

7'Goal! Uruguay 1, Portugal 0. Edinson Cavani

Preview

Uruguay & Portugal face off in Sochi with a place in the quarter-finals on the line. Both countries have shown moments of real quality in the group stages, and the clash promises to be a tight and tetchy encounter between two similarly matched sides. You can watch all the action via beIN SPORTS CONNECT. 

Uruguay has impressed in their three games so far at the World Cup. The South American side have looked compact and defensively strong in their group games and came away with three victories from Group A. More importantly, their last performance a 3-0 win against hosts Russia highlighted their attacking intent and underlined their potential as dark horses in the tournament. 

Luis Suarez & Edison Cavani both got on the scoresheet in the victory over the Russians and will be relishing their battle against Portugal centre-backs Pepe & José Fonte. The ageing defenders have shown that they are vulnerable with pace, Suarez certainly will be looking to unsettle the duo if Uruguay is to make it to the quarters. 

Uruguay Predicted Team

beIN SPORTS CONNECT

Portugal will be looking to progress past the round of sixteen for only the second time in their history when they take on Uruguay on Saturday evening. 

The 2016 European Champions showed moments of class in the group stages. From Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning hat-trick in the opener against Spain to Ricardo Quaresma’s screamer against Iran, its been a World Cup to savour so far for Fernando Santos and his squad. Now a place in the quarter-finals is a distinct possibility. 

It goes without saying that Cristiano Ronaldo will be the main man for Portugal against Uruguay. The Real Madrid star already has warm memories of playing in Sochi, scoring a hat-trick in his sides opening game. Ronaldo’s battle with Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin promises to be interesting and depending who can keep their cool, could potentially win the match for their team. 

Portugal Predicted Team
Patricio, Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro, William, Silva, Quaresma, Joao Mario, Guedes, Cristiano Ronaldo.

It promises to be a fascinating encounter as Uruguay take on Portugal for a place in the quarterfinals.  Watch the Live & Exclusive stream of the game on MAX HD3 & beIN SPORTS CONNECT.