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Luis Diaz scored for Colombia inside the opening minute as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Paraguay.
Luis Diaz was involved in both of Colombia’s goals as they were frustratingly held to a 2-2 draw against Paraguay.
The Liverpool winger opened the scoring in just 40 seconds for Los Cafeteros - the fastest goal scored in the country’s World Cup qualification history. He beat a record that was set by Anthony de Ávila in 1997, who bagged after 73 seconds. It was also Diaz’s sixth goal in Colombia’s bid to reach the 2026 tournament across the USA, Mexico and Canada.AS Diario described his finish into the top corner as a ‘stroke of genius’.
The 28-year-old is one of his nation’s main stars and underlined his importance to the team just 12 minutes later when he assisted Jhon Duran’s goal to double the advantage. Diaz also had a chance to put the game to rest in the 41st minute but his blushes were spared as he would have been ruled offside anyway after latching on to James Rodriguez’s pass.
However, Colombia were unable to retain their lead. They conceded in first-half stoppage-time and then Paraguay equalised in the 62nd minute. It leaves Los Cafeteros sixth in the South American qualification table, having failed to win their past four games and they face a battle to book their spot at next year’s World Cup - having missed out on a place in Qatar last time out.
Colombia are back in action when they face Peru in June. However, in a major blow, Diaz will not be able to play. The ex-Porto man was handed a yellow card in the dying embers of the Paraguay draw for a ‘dangerous tackle’ according to AS. He will be able to return for the second fixture against Alexis Mac Allister’s Argentina, who booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup after a 4-1 victory over Brazil.
Meanwhile, ESPN commented on Diaz’s performance against Paraguay: “Colombia's best player, he opened the scoring with a stunning right-footed goal inside the box and provided an assist for Jhon Duran's second. Lucho was a hothead after Paraguay's equalizer and caused a lot of problems for the opposing defense.”
Diaz form boost
Diaz will now return to Liverpool and his confidence should be boosted after also bagging in last week’s 2-1 defeat by Brazil. He has been a key player for the Reds in their charge towards the Premier League title, recording 13 goals and five assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
However, Diaz has struggled in the final third since the turn of the year. He has managed to net only once in 2025, which arrived in a 2-1 win over strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Yet scoring twice for Colombia should give him a boost heading back to Merseyside. Liverpool have nine matches remaining in their bid to secure the Premier League crown. Arne Slot’s side return to action when they face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Wednesday 2 April, which gives Diaz a week to recover and prepare for the intense battle ahead. Liverpool are aiming to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley before the international break.