Luis Diaz, Colombia’s chaos artist, faces Switzerland’s wall | OneFootball

Colombia meet Switzerland in Vancouver on Tuesday at 22:00 for a last-16 tie that could take them to the quarter-finals, with focus on Luis Diaz to supply the cutting edge. According to Le Progres, Colombia have impressed so far but now need to step up.

At 29, the Barrancas-born winger is coming off his best Bayern season, scoring 26 and creating 23 while dovetailing with Harry Kane and Michael Olise. Coaches have praised his knack for thriving in disorder and for roaming inside to threaten across the pitch.

He opened his World Cup with a goal and an assist in the 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, then went scoreless against Portugal, DR Congo and Ghana, the latter a 1-0 win in the last 16. Diaz felt he lacked serenity, had efforts ruled out, and that his confidence was not fully there.

Against Ghana he worked tirelessly in attack and in retreat, drifting inside rather than waiting wide. The numbers did not follow, as a 39th-minute half-volley missed, an offside flag cut short a finish on 56 minutes, and a 58th-minute effort was too tame to beat the keeper.

Colombia still carry threats through Daniel Munoz, who has two goals at this World Cup, the returning James Rodriguez, 34, and former Marseille forward Luis Suarez, Portugal’s top scorer with Sporting on 28. Yet in a tournament of prolific stars, their own output has been modest. To equal their 2014 high of the last eight, Diaz and company must harness their chaos and find a timely spark.

Source: Le Progres