It was Darwin Nunez vs. Luis Diaz on Friday night as Uruguay hosted Colombia, with the former coming out on top in a dramatic game.
As the international break continues in South America, Nunez and Diaz faced off in a World Cup qualifier which proved to be a memorable game.
Colombia thought they had earned a point when Andres Gomez netted six minutes into stoppage time, only for Man United midfielder Manuel Ugarte to score in the 101st minute and secure a 3-2 home victory.
Both Liverpool players started the game, with Nunez leading the line and continuing to spearhead Uruguay’s attack in the post-Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani era.
Meanwhile, Diaz was used in his preferred left-sided role, looking to take his scintillating Liverpool form to the international stage.
Despite the high-scoring nature of the game, the Reds duo were relatively quiet, with neither scoring nor assisting on the night.
Nunez had three shots in total, but only two touches in the opposition box, per FotMob, which is a curiously low tally given he played the whole 90 minutes up front.
As for Diaz, he created just one chance and was dispossessed five times, suggesting that the 27-year-old was far from his electric best – though he did win more duels than any other player (12).
Nunez’s next assignment is a trip to Brazil while Colombia host Ecuador, both on Tuesday night, with Uruguay having leapfrogged both of this month’s opponents to second in their World Cup qualifying group.
From a Liverpool perspective, it’s a case of hoping neither pick up knocks, before returning in time to feature away to Southampton on November 24.
While Nunez and Diaz didn’t excel against each other, both are going to be such important figures in the Reds’ Premier League title charge.
Diaz has been superb so far this season, scoring nine goals and netting a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen, and he is playing at his highest level in a Liverpool shirt to date.
In other international news on Friday, Ben Doak produced a Man of the Match display in Scotland’s 1-0 win at home to Croatia in the UEFA Nations League, playing a big role in John McGinn’s winner.
