Uruguay vs Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo takes on Uruguay’s tough defense
Uruguay and Portugal will lock horns in a massive round of 16 tie at Sochi’s Olimpiyskiy Stadion Fisht on Saturday.
It’s the second of two mouthwatering round of 16 clashes fans are set to be treated to as the first knockout rounds get underway. Uruguay is just one of three sides to successfully complete their group stage with three wins out of three. The other two, Belgium and Croatia will face Japan and Denmark respectively.
La Celeste didn’t set the pitch alight as they saw off Egypt, Russia, and Saudi Arabia over in Group A, but Uruguay did so sans conceding a single goal. Much of the focus has been on their star striking duo, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who have been plundering goals for fun with Barcelona and PSG respectively over the past couple of seasons. However, Uruguay’s defenders really deserve all the plaudits, where led by Atletico Madrid’s stalwart Diego Godin they were the only side to complete their group stage campaign unblemished.
As Uruguay navigated their way through their group stage journey without much fuss, Portugal had a rougher ride. Cristiano Ronaldo was in brilliant form as he salvaged a draw against Spain, and he struck yet again to send Morocco heading towards an early exit. However, he was frustrated time and time against a determined Iran side who were desperately fighting for their spot in the round of 16. In fact, the talismanic attacker, who is a strong contender for the Golden Boot this summer, was fortunate not to be sent off after elbowing an Iranian player.
Ronaldo also failed to convert a penalty during that contest, and Portugal were inches away from being eliminated when Iran nearly scored a second goal to put the tie to bed. Having won the EURO 2016 title, Ronaldo already does have a title with his national side – something that has eluded Lionel Messi for over a decade – but he certainly will want to add another to his growing trophy haul, nonetheless.
This tie will be quite interesting as Ronaldo has yet to score a single goal for Portugal in the knockout stages of the World Cup, and will want to overcome that frustrating run. Meanwhile, Luis Suarez has netted seven times for Uruguay, but his last goals in the knockout rounds were back in 2010 when he scored a brace against South Korea in the round of 16.
Will set pieces be a deciding factor? All five of Uruguay’s goals have been the result of dead ball situations – whether it be a corner kick (three), indirect free kick (one) or direct free kick (one). Portugal has scored one from a free-kick – through Cristiano Ronaldo – but whether it be inside or outside the box, they’ll be looking to find a way to breach Uruguay’s tough back-line as they aim to face either Argentina or France in the quarter-finals.
