Luis Diaz has just scored one of the finest goals of his career, dribbling past four Argentina players to score Colombia’s only goal in a 1-1 draw.
While Diaz hasn’t always been a sharp shooter in front of goal for Liverpool, there has never been any doubting the skill he possesses as a wide man.
On a pitch with Lionel Messi, it were Diaz’s quick feet that dazzled brightest as he scored a brilliant solo effort to put Colombia ahead.
Having drawn 0-0 against Peru in their last game, Diaz’s side are not yet guaranteed qualification for the 2026 World Cup, therefore the fixture took on extra significance for Colombia, as opposed to Argentina who are well clear at the top of the CONMEBOL standings.
In a repeat of July’s Copa America final, which Argentina won 1-0 after extra time, the teams were well-matched, but unlike last summer, Colombia scored first.
The goal came in the 24th minute, thanks to Diaz who, after picking the ball up from River Plate’s Kevin Castano on the left, drove at the opposition defenders.
Liverpool’s No. 7 cut inside and jinked past four opposition players, including Tottenham‘s Cristian Romero, before calmly finishing to Emiliano Martinez’s left.
Castano, who had registered the arbitrary assist for Diaz’s opener, was involved again in one of the game’s key incidents, as he was caught on the head by Enzo Fernandez’s high boot.
The Chelsea midfielder was subsequently sent off but, despite being down to 10 men, Lionel Scaloni’s team managed to produce an equaliser.
With nine minutes of normal time left to play, Thiago Almada of Botafogo shifted the ball onto his right foot and arrowed the ball low, across goal, into the bottom corner with goalkeeper Kevin Mier unable to push it beyond the post.
Just three minutes before the leveller, Messi was substituted after asking to come off, Scaloni said after the final whistle.
The manager explained: “Leo wasn’t going to come off, but he ended up coming off near the end.
“He told me it was better for him to come off, and so we decided to change him. The good thing we always showed, with 10 men and without Messi, is that we kept looking, not giving up on a ball. That makes us very satisfied.”
In South America, to qualify automatically for the World Cup, you must finish in the top six of the 10-team league.
Currently, Colombia lie sixth with two games left to play against Bolivia and Venezuela. The latter sit four points behind, with seventh place going into an international play-off for a World Cup spot.
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