There has been a lot of pressure on Liverpool’s new number nine to lead the front line in a new era for Uruguay as legends Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are phased out.
After scoring a stoppage-time penalty to secure a draw away at Colombia last week, Nuñez came up clutch at the Estadio Centenario on Wednesday.
The former Benfica man put in a man of the match performance against Brazil, opening the scoring with a fine header past Ederson, before setting up Nicolas de la Cruz’s second-half clincher.
The win for Uruguay takes them up to second in the World Cup 2026 qualification table, but – amazingly – also marks the country’s first victory over their neighbours since 2001.
Speaking after the game, Nuñez spoke of his pride at the historic win.
“We started talking about this match after Colombia. It was a difficult, direct rival. It was worth everyone’s effort,” he said.
“We played a great game when it came to attacking and defending. Today we won. It had been 22 years since we beat Brazil, they are a very strong team, that’s clear. We made history and now let’s celebrate and return to our clubs.”
Slightly more concerning for Liverpool, Nuñez also revealed he suffered cramp towards the end of a hard-fought contest.
He added: “The truth is that to earn the position of number nine I have to work, not settle for anything and that’s what I try to do when I come to the national team. I come to leave everything on the field, it was noticeable today. I ended up a little cramped in the end. I’m happy with the victory.”
Whether Nuñez will be fit and available to feature in the Merseyside derby this weekend remains to be seen.
The forward is unlikely to get much preparation time ahead of the Saturday, 12:30 BST kick-off. However, with Cody Gakpo an injury doubt, Jurgen Klopp’s attacking options may be limited.
