8 hours ago
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MOTM like Olise & Kane
©IMAGO
Michael Olise was the man of the match for France against Senegal (3-1) yesterday. Harry Kane received the award from FIFA after his two-goal performance against Croatia (4-2). Seeing his two Bayern Munich attacking colleagues dazzle must have spurred Luis Díaz on. The forward produced an incredible assist and scored what proved to be the winner, leading Colombia to a 3-1 win over newcomers Uzbekistan.
It was an incredible World Cup debut for Díaz. Not surprisingly, FIFA handed Díaz the man of the match award. That means that all three stars of Bayern’s frontline have won the man of the match on matchday 1. For Díaz, it was simply a continuation of what had already been an incredible season. Signed for €70m from Liverpool, there were question marks surrounding the transfer at first, but then the Colombian produced an incredible 26 goals and 23 assists in 51 games for Bayern Munich across all competitions.
Indeed, sometimes you don’t notice a player’s worth until you subtract him from another team. While Bayern Munich played an almost perfect season, Liverpool struggled without Díaz all season. The Colombian is a pressing dynamo, perfectly suited to constantly put stress on opposing defensive lines. The game tonight was a perfect example. Not only did Díaz score, but the left-winger also had 47 ball contacts, completed 79% of his passes and won 67% of his 12 duels.
Taking over from James Rodríguez? Why Luis Díaz is now Colombia’s most important player
Looking at this performance, it is incredible to think that this is Díaz's first World Cup. Colombia failed to qualify four years ago, and Díaz wasn’t called up to the first team until September 2018, just a few months after the World Cup in Russia. But now Díaz has finally arrived on the big stage, and there is a good chance that he will instantly become his country’s biggest star, taking over the mantle from James Rodríguez. For James, this will be the third tournament. The playmaker spent the last few months at Minnesota United trying to gain fitness for the World Cup. James started and is still the most recognized Colombian player, but make no mistake: Colombia is now Díaz’s team.
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