Edinson Cavani scored his 40th international goal but it was not enough for Uruguay to avoid a late 2-1 defeat against Austria on Thursday.

Louis Schaub found the net with an 87th-minute free-kick to give the home side a third consecutive victory following a winning end to their unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaign.

Austria went ahead in just the fifth minute through Marcel Sabitzer, the RB Leipzig star firing into an empty net after Martin Silva smothered Guido Burgstaller's initial effort.

But the Russia-bound visitors immediately replied as an unmarked Cavani nodded in from Jonathan Urretaviscaya cross.

And the match seemed destined for a draw with neither side capable of causing trouble after the restart.

That was until Schaub's free-kick from wide on the right drifted untouched past a sea of bodies and inside the far post, putting an end to Uruguay's five-match unbeaten run.