Colombia rescued a golden point in their visit to Argentina (1-1) thanks to the brilliant performance of Luis Fernando Díaz. The Colombian, a priority for FC Barcelona's summer market, scored a great goal in the 24th minute and led the 'coffee' attack in a very even match played at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires.
'Lucho' received a pass from Kevin Castaño near the midfield and drove down his wing. As he approached the area, he cut inside to his right, leaving four rivals behind to take a placed shot that left 'Dibu' Martínez with no reaction.
During the match, Díaz was the MVP with a total of 5 shots (2 on target) and 12 of 15 passes completed (80%). In addition, he created a couple of goal opportunities, with 5 successful dribbles in 9 attempts, 5 defensive actions and 6 recoveries.
The Barrancas native was a nightmare on the left, forcing coach Lionel Scaloni to change Nahuel Molina (right-back) at halftime. Argentina regained control of the midfield in the second half and equalized thanks to a goal from Thiago Almada in the 81st minute.
Luis Díaz is the new top scorer of the South American qualifier
With his goal at the Monumental, 'Lucho' took the lead alone in the ranking of top scorers in the South American qualifier. The 'Guajiro' now has 7 goals in the 16 rounds played, with a couple of dates to play in September.
Further back, still with 6 goals, are Leo Messi and the Bolivian Miguel Terceros, who scored on Tuesday in his team's victory against the already eliminated Chile (2-0). 'La Pulga', although he completed a good match in his return to the 'albiceleste' XI, could not shake the nets and remains as escort, with one more goal than Raphinha (5).
The Barça winger was also a starter in Brazil's victory against Paraguay (1-0), a result that sealed the seleçao's qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Darwin Núñez (Uruguay), Enner Valencia (Ecuador) and Salomón Rondón (Venezuela) also register 5 goals.
Top scorers South American qualifiers 2026
- Luis Díaz (Colombia): 7
- Leo Messi (Argentina): 6
- Miguel Terceros (Bolivia): 6
- Raphinha (Brazil): 5
- Darwin Núñez (Uruguay): 5
- Enner Valencia (Ecuador): 5
- Salomón Rondón (Venezuela): 5
- Antonio Sanabria (Paraguay): 4
- Julián Álvarez (Argentina): 4
Barça clears its market doubts: it will go for Luis Díaz in July
Beyond the stellar performance of Luis Díaz against Argentina, Barça has already opted for the Barrancas native as the first option to reinforce the left side of its attack. With Nico Williams ruled out and Rafael Leao almost impossible due to Milan's economic demands, the most sensible option is the Colombian international.
Negotiations with Liverpool, however, will not be easy, as the 'reds' insist on receiving at least 80 million euros for the 28-year-old striker. However, the imminent arrival of Florian Wirtz forces those from Merseyside to make a millionaire sale and, most likely, the South American player will pressure his club to let him go to Barcelona.
The transfer is expected to close for a figure close to 70 'kilos', 12 M€ more than what Nico Williams would cost. However, 'Lucho's' salary will be much easier to fit into the azulgrana budget. The 'Guajiro' could sign at a rate of around 5 M€ net, with a contract for 4 or 5 years, just like Joan García, to amortize the operation.
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