Uruguay vs Portugal: 5 things we learned

In Saturday’s other mouth-watering round of 16 tie, Uruguay took on Portugal. With Lionel Messi and Argentina out of the competition, all eyes turned to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Would the Real Madrid star be able to take his side further than his arch-rival? Or would Uruguay, who made it through to this point without conceding a goal, manage to hold him at bay?

Having seen the goal-fest in the Argentina-France tie, viewers were eager to see what this other major clash would have in store. Whilst we weren’t treated to a seven-goal thriller, it was nonetheless an interesting clash from start to finish.

Here are five notable observations from Uruguay’s victory over Portugal.

1. Portugal is still worryingly Ronaldo dependent…and that doesn’t bode well for their future

Cristiano Ronaldo netted four of his team’s five goals at this tournament, including a hat-trick against Spain to seal a point. But at 33, he’s not going to be playing forever – despite claiming he wants to play until the age of 40. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner received plenty of attention during the clash with Uruguay, with Diego Godin virtually tracking him all over the pitch, which means that others should have been able to step up.

But that didn’t happen. Portugal’s goal was scored by defender Pepe and overall, the team appeared totally bereft of attacking options. No one was willing – or able – to take on the team’s attacking impetus with Ronaldo shackled for most of the game, and that doesn’t bode well for their future one bit.

2. Uruguay’s defense finally breached, but it’s still a strong unit

Much has been said about Uruguay’s attack, but it’s their defense really that deserves the plaudits. Then again, given that the back-line is led by none other than Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin – a team built on strong defending – it should be no surprise. Yes, they weren’t really tested against Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Egypt, but his marking Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game clearly shows he’s up to the task of containing France’s attackers in the quarter-finals.

3. Edinson Cavani finally getting his chance to shine – and is relishing in the moment

Since leaving Napoli, Cavani has had his share of frustration at club and national level. When he arrived at PSG, he was played out of his preferred position to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and it wasn’t until the big Swede left that he was moved back to the no. 9 spot. Meanwhile, with Uruguay, he played second fiddle to Diego Forlan and to some extent, Luis Suarez as well.

However, this World Cup, he is finally getting his chance in the spotlight. After opening his account against Russia, he was the protagonist in Uruguay’s 2-1 win over Portugal, netting both goals to fire them into the quarter-finals. However, having hobbled off injured after his heroics, Uruguay will be undoubtedly sweating over his fitness ahead of their tough showdown with France on Friday.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo shatters yet another notion

There are huge sectors of football fans who believe that Cristiano Ronaldo is a selfish, narcissistic, arrogant individual. Some of his statements certainly don’t help, but at the end of the day, the Portuguese star does have every right to be confident in his abilities. Well, who was the player to help an injured Cavani off the pitch? Yes, none other than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. With his side down a goal, the skipper showed great sportsmanship to help his competitor off to the sidelines, much to the approval of fans in the stadium.

Now there are those who would cynically state that Ronaldo was merely trying to haul Cavani off so as not to waste more time. Yes, it’s obviously wise to get the injured player off the pitch to get the game restarted, but the fact that it was Ronaldo and none of Cavani’s other teammates doing it is especially notable.

Fans are free to think what they want of the Real Madrid superstar, but that gesture clearly shows that some of the stories written about him are just that: stories. By contrast, Messi, who is widely praised as more humble than his arch-rival, didn’t even bother to shake the hands of Croatian players after Argentina’s 3-0 loss on matchday two – something that clearly rankled the Vatreni, and rightfully so.

5.  Uruguay definitely another potential “dark horse” at this tournament.

With Germany and Argentina out, as well as Portugal, this tournament could be getting a lot more interesting for potential “dark horse” contenders. We’ve seen Croatia doing well, and the Vatreni are having their best tournament so far since 1998. Uruguay hasn’t won the title in over 50 years, but they have started off their campaign on the right footing. They’ll surely be tested against France, but has managed to beat Portugal in their first serious challenge, La Celeste certainly will not be intimidated by their opponents’ free-flowing attack.