Cavani back scoring to boost Uruguay's FIFA World Cup hopes

MADRID (AP) — There was relief for Edinson Cavani the moment his penalty kick struck the net.

“What crossed my mind is that it finally went in,” he said after scoring his first goal since signing for Valencia.

The Uruguay striker came to Spain looking for playing time ahead of potentially his last World Cup but had been growing anxious about his lack of scoring, having failed in his first three games with the club.

That all ended against Elche in the Spanish league on Saturday, when he also scored with a header in first-half stoppage time in a 2-2 draw.

“For us strikers, scoring is something very important,” the 35-year-old Cavani said. “We do things to help the team, we work for the team, but scoring goals is something that is good for us.”

There was a scare for both Valencia and Uruguay when Cavani didn’t return for the second half against Elche because of an ankle injury, but he said after the game it wasn’t anything serious.

“The ankle was swollen but it should be just a matter of days,” he said. “It hurts a bit, but it was a precaution.”

Cavani will be looking to make it to his fourth World Cup with Uruguay, with whom he is expected to spearhead the attack alongside Luis Suárez and Darwin Núñez in a group containing South Korea, Ghana and Portugal.

Along with Suárez, he helped the South American nation finish fourth in 2010 in South Africa. Four years later in Brazil, Uruguay was eliminated by Colombia in the round of 16.

It was a disappointing ending for Uruguay and Cavani in 2018 in Russia, when he couldn’t contribute in a loss to eventual champion France in the quarterfinals because of a muscle injury that kept him from playing.

RICHARLISON'S TEARS

Holding crutches and not putting weight on his left leg,