18 October 2023 , 07:29
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Two of Liverpool 's South American stars - Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz - were in action on Tuesday night but endured differing fortunes.
The Reds have seen a host of their players jet off to varying corners of the globe, but some are enjoying their outings more than others. Nunez and his Uruguay side were able to revel in a statement victory as they saw off Brazil 2-0 with the forward getting on the scoresheet and registering an assist for Nicolás de la Cruz.
Diaz meanwhile was unable to help Colombia see off Ecuador on the road as they were held to a goalless draw with the winger missing a golden opportunity from the spot. His penalty was well saved by the goalkeeper, leaving the Colombians fifth in the qualifying group.
It is still early days as the South American nations begin their qualifying campaigns for the World Cup in three years time, which will be staged in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Nunez's strike helped Marcelo Bielsa's side deal Brazil a first qualifying defeat of the campaign with Neymar suffering an injury blow.
The Liverpool star has already enjoyed some big moments this term, notably at St James' Park, where he scored a second-half brace to help the Reds come from 1-0 down to seal all three points despite being down to ten men.
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Diaz has also been influential amid the increased competition for places on Merseyside, but he endured a difficult night as Colombia again dropped points despite their coach, Néstor Lorenzo, suggesting they were deserving winners in both their recent outings.
Luis Diaz fluffed his lines from the spotHe said: “I think the boys played a great game. I was left with the feeling that we deserved a little more in both games. I feel that in these two dates we lost four points, and the players know what we talked about and that we went out to win. The satisfaction we feel is that the team responded and played a great game, they deserved to win."
Colombia's other draw came against Uruguay as Nunez and Diaz went from team-mate to opponents for one night only. It was Nunez who came to the rescue for his country, scoring a stoppage time penalty to rescue a point against their ten-man opponents.