30.06.2018 » Uruguay 2-1 Portugal. The World Cup dream is over for Ronaldo

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Portugal are out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Uruguay this Saturday evening in Sochi, Russia. The "Selecção" managed to control the game, but couldn't handle Uruguay's firepower upfront and succumbed to Cavani's double.

It was most likely Cristiano Ronaldo's last opportunity to shine at a World Cup level, but there was not much he could do last night to prevent Portugal's exit from the tournament, as Fernando Santos' men got defeated 2-1 by a very solid and organized Uruguay. The Portuguese dream started being shattered into a thousand pieces when Cavani broke the deadlock early in the first half, but the Portuguese still reacted with the equalizer in the 55th minute, when Pepe scored from a header. However, that joy didn't last long and Cavani would strike the last blow shortly after and sealed Uruguay's 2-1 win on the night.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Uruguay vs Portugal
Uruguay 2-1 Portugal - Goals and highlights:

All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Uruguay:

Oddly enough, this was one of the better knockout performances from Portugal in recent years, but their luck ran out as they lost to a spirited Uruguayan side lead by Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez in attack.

Edinson Cavani was the star of the match, scoring a brilliant header to give his country the 1-0 lead only 7 minutes in, then capitalizing on a Pepe mistake to finish off the match.

Portugal's lone goal came from Pepe from a corner, but it was his crucial mistake late that gifted Uruguay the victory. Ronaldo was stifled today by their brilliant defense. Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez were both fantastic at the back and they defended well as a team.

For Portugal, it was the early goal that killed them. Raphael Guerreiro has been really poor this tournament and he lost Cavani in the box which led to the opening header. That goal really knocked Portugal off of their game and forced them to commit to attack sooner than they likely would have wanted. Their South American rivals were more than well prepared and in the end, Portugal could not really break them down.

For Ronaldo, it's a sour end to a tournament that started so brilliantly, but the signs were there for Portugal all along. The poor performances vs Morocco and Iran already showed their level and unlike 2016, there would be no heroics. Pepe and Fonte are just too old at this point to really anchor a defense, especially when they are up against pacey forwards.

There needs to be a bit of a change in philosophy for the team. Will Ronaldo be there for that or is he approaching the end? I can surely see him staying around for the EURO 2020, but the next World Cup may be a bit of a stretch at 37 years old. Though, if there is anyone who can remain fit enough it's certainly him...

Author: Terrance Ross

Portugal line-up vs Uruguay:

Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Raphael Guerreiro, Pepe, Fonte, Ricardo
Midfielders: William Carvalho, Adrien Silva, João Mário, Bernardo Silva
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonçalo Guedes.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid is on July 31 of 2018 against Manchester United. You can watch Juventus live stream, Manchester United vs Real Madrid, Nigeria vs Argentina, Brazil vs Mexico, Iceland vs Croatia, and Sweden vs Switzerland, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.

Real Madrid next game:
Manchester United vs Real Madrid kick-off time (31-07-2018):

Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 08:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 07:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 05:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 02:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 01:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 21:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 20:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 17:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / washingtonpost.com / independent.co.uk / fifa.com

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