Uruguay pray Cavani returns as Suarez’s foil for the quarters

ONLY seven minutes were gone when Edinson Cavani stepped forward to claim first place in a duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.

The billing was always a little off kilter. Ronaldo versus Suarez has an obvious appeal, with their club rivalries and knack of stealing the headlines.

They are the faces of their teams, small nations of proud footballing heritage who revel in their ability to compete against bigger countries with greater resources.

Portugal won the European title because Fernando Santos was able to build a team to coax the best from his star talent.

At Euro 2016, the Portuguese had balance and a strong defence and Ronaldo had his moments, although he was not at his best.

Uruguay, led by their veteran manager Oscar Tabarez, have brought a similar model to Russia.

They are strong at the back, with a miserly record founded on the partnership between Atletico Madrid centrehalves Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez.

Full-backs try to get forward and the midfield diamond works efficiently. They have two world-class strikers and, considering they are supposed to be not keen on each other, they make a fearsome pair.

Suarez, all muscle and menace, enjoys physical contact and the thrill of competition.

Cavani, more graceful with flowing locks and a long stride, covers a greater area and is capable of dropping deep to link up or spinning into the channels and causing defenders to scramble.

Born within a month of each other in the city of Salto, they have been playing together for Uruguay at different age levels since the Under 20 World Cup.

The understanding was clear as they took the lead. As Cavani collected the ball wide on the right and advanced, Suarez peeled away to the opposite flank.

Still, Cavani launched a long pass in that direction and bounded towards goal.

Suarez gathered it and burrowed inside, working the ball on to his right foot but rather than shoot he swerved a cross towards the back post.

Cavani drifted behind Raphael Guerreiro and although his header was not the sweetest contact — it skidded off an untidy combination of face and shoulder — it flew into the top corner.

Uruguay had the advantage and belief in their plan. They disrupted the rhythm of the game, conceding free-kicks, contesting clear decisions, crowding the referee and demanding treatment.

Suarez and Cavani were back in tandem as the teams came off for half-time complaining to the referee and his assistants.

Ronaldo was restricted to a free-kick driven into the wall in the first half, although Godin’s determination to shove him rather than challenge in the air allowed Pepe to head in the equaliser from a corner.

The goal was the first conceded by Uruguay since November but they were back in front within seven minutes as Cavani produced a sublime finish.

If his first was a little scruffy then this was highly polished, as he curled a first-time shot past Rui Patricio from the edge of the area after Pepe failed to win a long punt down the centre from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Cavani moved on to 45 goals from 105 internationals but his chance to pursue a hat-trick was foiled by injury.

At first, it seemed to be another episode of time-wasting but Cavani made it clear he wanted to come off and required help from the medics as he hobbled around the touchline to see the game out from the bench.

Uruguay fans sang his name and they will pray he is fit for the quarter-final. Without him they have the bite of Suarez, but only half the threat.