Luis Diaz impresses as Liverpool star prepares for huge Brazil meeting

Luis Diaz might not have gotten on the scoresheet on Saturday, but he did play a lively role in Colombia’s first of two pre-Copa America friendlies this month.

Diaz delivered a strong 71 minutes in Colombia’s 5-1 victory over the USA, a result which extended the Colombians’ current unbeaten streak to 22 matches in all competitions. The Liverpool forward created two offensive chances and also came close to notching his 12th international goal.

After the USA cut their deficit to 2-1 in the second half, Diaz came close to re-extending Colombia’s lead in the 61st minute. Diaz’s blistering right-footed shot struck the left post before trickling across the goal line and away from danger.

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The 27-year-old was replaced in the 71st minute of the match and proceeded to watch Colombia add three additional tallies before the final whistle. Richard Rios, Jorge Carrascal, and Luis Sinisterra helped Nestor Lorenzo’s men pad their lead, giving Colombia its largest goalscoring performance since September 2022.

Diaz entered June camp fresh off his most productive season with Liverpool yet. The former FC Porto standout registered 13 goals and five assists in 51 combined appearances as the Reds finished third in the English Premier League and lifted the EFL Cup in Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield.

Colombia, who is the only South American country to have yet suffered a defeat in World Cup Qualifying, will close out its preparations on June 15 against Bolivia. The Colombians will be seeking their second-ever Copa America title later this summer and Diaz has been pleased with the team’s continued work towards their long-term goal.

“We are doing well, but we will take things game by game,” Diaz told the media post match Saturday. I don’t think we will be favourites, Argentina and Brazil are really big teams.”

Colombia will face Paraguay, Costa Rica, and Brazil in group stage action in the coming weeks.