Luis Díaz — Colombia’s most underestimated nuclear weapon

When talking about Colombia, many people’s first reaction is J羅. But let me tell you: Colombia’s real trump card is Luis Díaz.

Díaz’s performance in this World Cup has been flawless. In the first round against Uzbekistan, he scored once and provided one assist, winning Man of the Match. In the second round against the Democratic Republic of Congo, although he didn’t score, two goals were disallowed, and with 5 shots total, it was the most for either team. He creates threats in every match—he just happens to be a little unlucky.

Díaz’s pace and dribbling are the soul of Colombia’s counterattacking tactics. Portugal’s full-backs—whether Mendes or Cancelo—love to push forward and get into attacking positions. Once they push up and can’t get back, Díaz gets the ball and breaks through one-on-one. Facing this level of explosiveness, Portugal’s defensive line is extremely passive.

Portugal’s head coach, Martínez, will certainly set up a defense for Díaz—possibly using a double team, possibly having the full-backs push forward less. But the problem is: if Portugal sacrifices its attack to stop Díaz, they’ll also find it difficult to score themselves. This is the core contradiction in Colombia’s tactics: if you defend Díaz, your offense takes a hit; if you don’t defend Díaz, he can single-handedly destroy you.

Díaz has already proven in the previous World Cup that he can score at the highest level stage. This time, against Portugal, he’s holding back a drive to prove himself. If Colombia can win, Díaz is absolutely the one who will decide the match.

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