Uruguay 2-1 Portugal: Player Ratings

Uruguay v Portugal: Round of 16 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Uruguay v Portugal: Round of 16 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

A brace by Edinson Cavani saw Uruguay edge past Portugal in the second Round of 16 fixture. The match kicked off with La Celeste dominating the game and with only just 7 minutes on the clock, Edinson Cavani put his side ahead courtesy of a beautiful header from a Luis Suarez cross.

Portugal then equalized in the second half thanks to a header from the former Real Madrid defender, Pepe. However, Cavani reclaimed the lead with an exquisite curler into the bottom right corner which proved to be the difference at the end of the match.

Óscar Tabárez's side will now go head-to-head with France after Les Bleus emerged victorious in the goal-fest see-saw against Argentina.

Also read: World Cup 2018: Twitter reacts as Uruguay edge past Portugal

Here are the player ratings for both sides.


Portugal

Rui Patrício - 6/10

He did make an exceptional save from Suarez's free-kick and frankly, it is hard to hold him responsible for the sublime goals scored by an in-form Cavani.

Jose Fonte - 5/10

Not only he should have done better with Cavani's first goal but he also struggled against Luis Suarez. Probably the end of his career at the top level.

Pepe - 7/10

He equalized the scoreline with the sole goal for his side but was also partly accountable for Cavani's second goal.

Ricardo Pereira - 6/10

Displayed shrewdness offensively but was quite sluggish at the back. He was not a difficult nut to crack for the menacing duo of Cavani and Suarez in the first half.

Raphaël Guerreiro - 6/10

Props to him for skilfully assisting Pepe's equalizer but was caught out in the defence when Cavani made his run that resulted in the opening goal.

Adrien Silva - 5/10

His only major contribution was winning the corner from which Pepe pulled off the breakthrough. Subbed in the 65th minute.

William Carvalho - 6/10

He was the ultimate backstop in Portugal's midfield and helped them resist pressure. All the same, the lack of pace enabled Uruguay to breeze past him.

Joao Mario - 5/10

The 25-year-old lacked imagination throughout the game and failed to make any crucial passes from the left flank. Subbed.

Bernardo Silva - 7/10

The Manchester City star was the bright spot in the squad and created problems for the Uruguayan rearguard with a couple of neat passes.

Goncalo Guedes - 5/10

He crumbled under pressure and accordingly, failed to make any major impact. Honestly, Quaresma should have started in place of him.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 6/10

A lot was expected from the Real Madrid megastar but he floundered in the face of Uruguayan defence. By the end of the match, he looked out of sorts.

Substitutes

Ricardo Quaresma - 6/10

Quaresma did create some sort of spark replacing Adrien Silva in the 65th minute.

Andre Silva - 4/10

He was subbed in for Goncalo Guedes in the 74th minute and that was the only time he was seen in the game.

Manuel Fernandes - N/A

Took the place of Joao Mario in the 84th minute.

Uruguay

TOPSHOT-FBL-WC-2018-MATCH49-URU-POR
A night to remember for this guy!

Fernando Muslera - 6/10

He could do well-nigh nothing about Pepe's header. Other than that, he looked resilient apart from an error in the second half.

Martin Caceres - 7/10

He was one of the unsung heroes of his team as he virtually covered the whole ground and did not give Portugal's attack any breathing space. His presence in the right forced Portugal to play only from the left of the pitch.

Jose Maria Gimenez - 7/10

The Atletico Madrid centre-back made life extremely difficult for the Portuguese forwards in tandem with Diego Godin. No wonder why the Spanish club is having a hard time to hold on to him.

Diego Godin - 8/10

The veteran made the best use of his invaluable experience and led the team by example. Up to snuff and could not have been any better.

Diego Laxalt - 6/10

He displayed maturity in his defensive duties. Nevertheless, inexperience chipped in when the left-back lost the ball a couple of times.

Lucas Torreira - 7/10

The Arsenal target showed no signs of his pocket-sized nature as he worked tirelessly as a defensive midfielder. The set-piece deliveries could have been better though.

Nahitan Nandez - 7/10

He was quite diligent in the midfield and played some beautiful passes for the forwards.

Matias Vecino - 7/10

Handled the pressure deftly and worked hard for his team. Did a good job in keeping Cristiano Ronaldo at bay.

Rodrigo Bentacur - 7/10

Set up Cavani's second goal and was a force to be reckoned with in the first period of the game. Also helped defend against Bernardo Silva and Ricardo Pereira.

Luis Suarez - 8/10

The Barcelona striker displayed a very characteristic performance coupled with a tinge ugliness. He was up and down the flank all night long and brilliantly assisted Cavani's first goal.

Edinson Cavani - 9/10

Played an incredible cross-field ball to Luis Suarez before scoring an athletic header to put Uruguay ahead. The second goal which made the difference was one for the books and the 31-year-old could have completed a hat-trick if it had not been for an injury. Splendid to say the least!

Substitutes

Cristian Rodriguez - 6/10

He administered his position well after being brought in for Bentacur in the 63rd minute.

Carlos Sanchez - 6/10

Replaced Nandez for the final nine minutes.

Cristhian Stuani - 6/10

Came on as a 74th-minute substitute for an injured Cavani to work like a Trojan!

Quick Links