Cavani, key for Uruguay
Uruguay meet Japan in their second Copa America 2019 game seeking to build on the momentum of their 4-0 defeat of Ecuador in their opening match of the competition, a victory inspired by Edinson Cavani.
'El Matador' had to go eight years and 11 Copa America games before scoring his first goal in the competiion, but it was worth the wait: a bicycle kick that gave his country a 2-0 lead. The length of time it took for him to get off the mark in the tournament is all the more surprising given it was his 47th goal in 111 appearances for his country. It was the crowning moment of a superb individual performance that earned him the Man of the Match award.
The Paris forward is coming off the back of an up-and-down season. He scored 17 goals in 16 league games, but injured himself when finding the net with a penalty against Bordeaux in February. That hip problem left him sidelined for two months, and he only came back for the last five league games, scoring a goal against Dijon the day the Ligue 1 trophy was lifted.
Despite the layoff, the Paris forward was still a major performer, scoring with every third shot last season, the highest ratio of any player.
If he features against Japan, he will equal Diego Forlán for international appearances, and will only be behind Maxi Pereira (125) and his capitain Diego Godín (128) on Uruguay's all-time list. The 32-year-old just keeps on scoring, and if he does that, perhaps he could pick up his second Copa America winner's medal and become only the second Paris player to triumph in the competition after Leonardo in 1997.