Not for the first time, Uruguay had Luis Suarez to thank at the Copa America, and Darwin Nunez’s reaction to his dramatic stoppage-time equalizer told you everything you need to know.
Canada appeared to be on the verge of winning the third-place playoff in North Carolina after goals from Ismael Kone and Jonathan David had put them 2-1 up following Rodrigo Bentancur’s opener.
Suarez though struck in the second minute of stoppage time to bring Uruguay level, and take the game to a penalty shootout. The former Liverpool striker then scored his effort from the spot to make it 4-3 after Kone’s miss, with Alphonso Davies then striking the crossbar to hand the victory to Uruguay.
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Although it wasn’t the final that Marcelo Bielsa’s side would have hoped to have been in, the victory was nevertheless cause for celebration, especially for Suarez and Nunez.
The latter had started the game just days after being involved in the . Nunez is now left waiting to see whether he will be punished for his part in the fight, with the Liverpool star one of 11 players under investigation.
He was replaced at half-time by Suarez, with the 37-year-old making potentially his final appearance for his country, and he certainly made it count. The former Red took home the man of the match award as he saved his side from ending the tournament with another defeat.
And, despite now being on the bench, Nunez was one of the first to celebrate with Suarez after the equalizer in what was quite a poignant moment for the pair.
Nunez looks set to be the man tasked with taking on Suarez’s mantel as his country’s talisman, and he certainly has a lot to live up to. The love for Suarez from the Uruguay players was clear to see as he was lifted up by his teammates at full-time.
Liverpool.com says: As we’ve seen at Liverpool, Nunez still has a long way to go before he can be considered to be in the same bracket at Suarez. With the former Red looking likely to be hanging up his boots soon though, it’s a huge moment for Nunez, who now has to step up to the plate for both club and country. Of course, that might depend on any potential punishment coming his way, but Suarez has shown what he needs to do now.