Darwin Nunez maintained his impressive form by assisting two goals in a 3-1 victory for Uruguay on Friday evening.
This positive performance follows Nunez’s remarkable cameo display at Newcastle United a fortnight ago and impactful performance during last weekend’s home triumph at the expense of Aston Villa.
It is safe to say the 24-year-old made his mark for his home country against Chile, though the former Benfica man recognised he was unfortunate not to be on the scoresheet himself. Speaking after the match, he said: “Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in, but we have to keep insisting and the most important thing was that we got the three points.”
The Uruguayan media were certainly left pleased with his contribution during Marcelo Bielsa’s first competitive fixture in charge of La Celeste, as highlighted below.
ESPN Uruguay were among those to heap praise on Nunez, stating: “The English Liverpool striker was one of the most outstanding players for a Uruguay team in which Valverde, Manuel Ugarte and De la Cruz played at a high level and took over the midfield.”
They added: “Darwin Núñez played a good game and despite the fact that he could not convert, he was always present. He was surprised at the way he gained in power. They couldn’t control it. He missed the goal, but he was a team player who generated, showed himself and even provided goal assists.”
Echoing this sentiment, El Pais – who awarded the former Benfica star a rating of seven out of ten – commented: “There were moments when Darwin – who missed a couple of clear scoring chances – showed himself as a winger and exchanged positions. It was in this way that one minute before leaving, he gave De la Cruz the third goal. He did a good job disturbing the entire front line. He made the difference with his changes of speed and gave two assists. He just missed the goal.”
Futbol.uy were equally as taken aback by his display, describing Liverpool’s No.9 as “physically uncontrollable”. The Uruguayan outlet said: “Spicy to bite into the void and find spaces before the midfielders’ passes. He attended De La Cruz to celebrate twice with great judgment and intelligence. Then he missed a one-on-one match against Cortéz alone. Physically he was uncontrollable and looked in great condition, which led him to create several favourable chances. Despite not reaching the goal, he also showed great credentials.”
El Observador added: “Uruguay shot 18 times on goal and had 51% possession Those numbers represent everything that is Bielsa’s new Uruguay. It’s in this context that the selection begins to walk the way it promised and quickly sets the bar high. De la Cruz led the football project in a partnership that he built with Ugarte and Valverde in the middle and that was strengthened by Darwin Nunez, who lacked only a goal, because he did the rest well.”
