Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, ‘close enemies’ in Colombia and Uruguay, in search of a place in the Copa América final

They have been teammates for two years. But before that they were rivals. One, the Colombian, joined Liverpool from Porto in Portugal. The other, six months later, signed for the Reds from their great rivals, Benfica. They learned to live together and became friends. This Wednesday, once again, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez will be on opposite sidewalks.

There is a big goal at stake, the Copa América final. Colombia has only won it once, 23 years ago. Uruguay has won it the most times, 15 times, the last time in 2011. Both teams are looking to win their first title at international level.

At Liverpool they complement each other: one, who is unbalanced on the wing, but also makes diagonal runs towards the centre to finish. The other, consolidated as a man up front. Now they will have to bring their virtues to the table, with a final at stake.

Darwin, in an interview with ESPN, said a couple of months ago that he has a very good friendship with Díaz and also with the Argentine Alexis Mac Allister, who could reach the final of the Cup on the other side of the draw if Argentina beats Canada.

“Luchito is a very happy person, he has those Colombian things, he is very funny. Maca too, but it’s more relaxed. We’re always together, talking about the games, we talk about a bit of everything. We talk and we see how close the Copa America is, time flies, we really want to be there,” he said. And there they all are, fighting for the title.

The Guajiro, for his part, has even tried to adapt to the Rioplatense customs of Núñez and Mac Allister. Among them, the consumption of mate. Without success, of course…

“I managed to try it once, before Maca arrived. Alisson also drinks mate, because in Brazil they also drink it to a certain extent. So I tried it once and, ugh, I didn’t like it very much! But they say it’s a custom,” said Díaz.

Both have similar numbers so far in the Copa América (see chart): almost the same amount of minutes on the pitch, the same number of games played, the same number of goals… The difference has been in effectiveness: Lucho has had to kick less to reach the two goals he has. Núñez has received some criticism for the number of chances he has missed.

Face to face, the numbers of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez in the Copa América

“All the players who are long-term goal scorers, not those who score occasionally or in a period, do so because they know how to finish. Then they are human and have cycles where that ability is more evident and others where it is less evident,” said Uruguay coach, Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, in his defence.

This is how the clashes between Díaz and Núñez have been

How have Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez fared when they faced each other? They played three times in Portugal, once in the League, once in the Portuguese Super Cup and once in the Cup. The record favoured the Colombian’s Porto, with two wins and one draw. Lucho scored a goal and Darwin came away with no goals.

However, when they have crossed paths in national team matches, the one who has not lost is Núñez, who even scored two goals in Barranquilla, one in the 0-3 of the qualifying round for Qatar 2022, and another in the 2-2 of the current qualifiers. They are friends, but now they will be intimate enemies.

Jose Orlando Ascencio

Sports Deputy Editor

@josasc

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