Uruguay’s latest World Cup qualification match ended in the most dramatic of circumstances as Darwin Nunez’s side defeated Luis Diaz’s Colombia 3-2 after a winning goal in the 102nd minute.
Manuel Ugarte, recently signed by Manchester United, struck deep in second-half injury time, only minutes after Colombia scored what they assumed would be the equaliser.
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However, despite an initial seven minutes being indicated by the officials, play continued past the 100-minute mark with Uruguay ultimately coming out on top.
It was a welcome result for Uruguay and their under-pressure head coach Marcelo Bielsa following a testing run of results and a stream of negative stories.
La Celeste grabbed the win after a run of FOUR winless qualification matches in which they hadn’t even scored a goal. Bielsa’s side are in second place in the CONMEBOL table after 11 matches, three points behind Alexis Mac Allister’s Argentina.
However, what was initially lost in the midst of the celebrations for Ugarte’s goal was Nunez’s response.
Instead of wheeling away with his teammates in ecstasy, the Liverpool forward sought out the former Everton defender Yerry Mina – on as a substitute mere minutes earlier – and celebrated the goal right in his face.
While it’s unknown whether anything happened on the night between the two, there is plenty to suggest prior enmity between the Merseyside rivals.
In 2021, Colombia eliminated Darwin’s Uruguay from the Copa America quarter-finals via a penalty shootout. When he scored his kick, Mina danced inside the penalty area – a move that was deemed deeply disrespectful.
When Colombia were knocked out via the same process by Argentina in the next round, Lionel Messi famously screamed “DANCE NOW!” at Mina when he missed his kick.
And at last summer’s Copa, tempers boiled over to a huge extent after Colombia ousted Uruguay at the semi-final stage. The overall reactions to that defeat earned Darwin an initial five-match ban as well as a $20,000 fine for his part in brawling with spectators.
No doubt, the s***housery we saw on Friday night had plenty to do with the built-up tension felt by the 25-year-old during a frustrating period of his international career.
He was involved in a brief set-to with Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz at the final whistle as emotions got out of control again.
And Mina is likely to find himself in hot water following his reaction to being filmed by a camera operator after the game’s conclusion.
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