£37m Liverpool player criticised by national media after 'imprecise' performance for his country last night
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It hasn’t been a good international break for Luis Diaz and Colombia as the Liverpool attacker prepares to return to Merseyside on the back of two disappointing results.
After losing 3-2 to Uruguay in an entertaining game of football, Nestor Lorenzo’s side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, who secured all three points despite going down to ten men.
Enner Valencia broke the deadlock in the opening exchanges of the game but the away side were pegged back as Piero Hincapie was shown a straight red card.
Colombia piled on the pressure but the visitors hung on for a win to leapfrog them in the table and take a major step towards 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Diaz and co flattered to deceive on the night, but how did the local media rate their performances?
Liverpool attacker Luis Diaz endures mixed showing vs Ecuador
Diaz wasn’t at his best against Uruguay and was given a rating of 5/10 as his Liverpool teammate Darwin Nunez got the better of him on the night.
Against Ecuador, though, the Liverpool attacker fared slightly better overall but his passing wasn’t quite up to the mark.
With Jhon Cordoba replacing Jhon Duran as the focal point of the attack, Colombia knocked on Ecuador’s door but the away side somehow held on to secure a famous win.
Rating Diaz’s performance 6/10, El Tiempo wrote: “Sometimes imprecise in his passes. When he understood that he had to link up, he created danger.”
Diaz’s stats vs Ecuador
- 55 touches (77% pass accuracy)
- 6/9 duels won
- 4/5 dribbles completed
- 3/3 long balls completed
- 2 shots on target
- 1 time woodwork hit
- 1 big chance missed
While the £37m Liverpool man’s passing was obviously an issue, the underlying numbers from Diaz’s performance suggest he had a very good game despite not getting a goal or an assist.
If he didn’t get involved in the game, that would have been a problem but the stats clearly show Diaz was in the thick of the action.
And Liverpool certainly won’t mind that as he prepares to return to the club for a run of fixtures that could define their season.
