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Luis Diaz is one victory away from lifting a trophy for his country after Colombia survived the full second half with only 10 men and protected their 1-0 lead over Uruguay.
The aftermath of the semi-final tie at Copa America has marred the action that unfolded on the pitch, with Darwin Nunez involved in a fight with fans in the stands.
It came after a tense battle on the field of play, which saw the referee blow the whistle for a combined 24 fouls, and show six yellow cards and one red.
Uruguay dominated possession but it was an otherwise even contest with 11 shots apiece, though Colombia had the better of the chances with an xG of 1.18 compared to 0.76 for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Nunez was described by El Observador as having “a moment of resignation when he missed his third shot on goal,” the opposite emotions of Jefferson Lerma who netted the only goal of the game.
The Crystal Palace man scored from a corner in the 39th minute, only moments before Daniel Munoz was sent off for a second yellow card offence after elbowing Manuel Ugarte in response to a coming together.
The shift to 10 men asked a lot more from Diaz up top before being subbed out of the match with only four minutes remaining – he won the second-most ground duels (seven) and was fouled three times.
He did lose 15 of his duels and complete just two of his seven dribbles, but he never stopped moving as his side navigated 45 minutes with a man less, holding on for a famous win.
It sets up a final against Alexis Mac Allister‘s Argentina on Sunday evening (Monday morning UK/1am BST). Nunez’s Uruguay will meet Canada in the third-place play-off on Saturday evening (Sunday morning UK/1am BST).
Commiserations and celebrations
Luis Diaz menenangkan Nunez yang menangis.. Sedih weyy ??#Blibli @bliblidotcom pic.twitter.com/sMAiQ0eEhT
— Jürgenholic Indonesia (@thejurgenholic) July 11, 2024
Despite Diaz’s obvious jubilation and emotion, he made sure to console his Liverpool team-mate after the final whistle, with the pair sharing a number of hugs.
Liverpool’s No. 7 had tears in his eyes when the final whistle went and throughout his post-match interviews, though he cut a more excited figure during Colombia’s celebrations in the dressing room.
On the victory, he said he feels “happiness [and] pride because we have been working on it since the first match until today and I feel proud of each one of our teammates and players.”
— acervo richard ríos (@acervorios) July 11, 2024
“It is a dream come true, one that we all had planned since we were little and today that it is fulfilled fills us with a lot of happiness.
“We have to enjoy this moment and rest for what is coming, which is going to be super important.”
A Liverpool player is guaranteed to lift the Copa America trophy, but will it be Diaz or Mac Allister?
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