Darwin Nunez achieved an all-time goalscoring feat as he netted once again in Uruguay’s 5-0 win over Bolivia on Thursday, making it 10 in his last seven games.
While Nunez may have struggled for consistency in front of goal under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, the same can’t be said for his work with Uruguay.
Since Marcelo Bielsa’s appointment as manager the 25-year-old has been in ridiculous form – which continued in a 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia in the second group game of Copa America.
Nunez kept his place in the starting lineup after netting a volley in the previous 3-1 win over Panama, with Bielsa naming an unchanged side.
It resulted in another dominant display, with Liverpool’s No. 9 scoring the second of Uruguay’s five goals with a deadly finish on the counter after 21 minutes.
He had already missed a huge chance to put his side 1-0 up in just the second minute of the game, heading just wide after being found free in the box.
After then firing off target from range he was thwarted in the box by Guillermo Viscarra with another opportunity, before finally beating goalkeeper with his fourth effort of the game.
That made it 10 goals in his last seven appearances for Uruguay, which is the longest goalscoring streak for the country since at least 1928.
It has been claimed that Hector Scarone also netted in seven straight fixtures between 1927 and 1928, though Transfermarkt records indicate that his run was, in fact, only six goals in six games.
83 minutes
6/10 passes completed
7 shots
2 big chances missed
15 (!) touches in the opposition box
12/19 duels won
1 brilliant goal with his left footAnother trademark Darwin Nunez display as Uruguay thrashed Bolivia 5-0 overnight ? pic.twitter.com/2avJ7waJsS
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) June 28, 2024
As shown by FotMob, while Nunez completed just six of 10 attempted passes over 83 minutes, as well as missing two big chances, the striker was a major threat throughout.
No player had more shots on goal (seven) nor completed as many dribbles (six), with Nunez having at least eight more touches in the opposition box than any other player (15) – with 41.7 percent of his involvement in the penalty area.
He also won the most duels (12) and made the fourth-most defensive actions for Uruguay (six), which complements his well-taken goal.
Bielsa withdrew Nunez with seven minutes to play, sending on Luis Suarez as his replacement, hailing the Liverpool striker as “very dynamic, energetic and powerful” in his post-match press conference.
In nine games under the current manager, Nunez has 10 goals and three assists, with Bielsa seemingly finding the key to getting the best out of him.
That appears to be ensuring Nunez is less involved in all-round play and more focused on converting chances, and Arne Slot will no doubt be watching attentively as Uruguay look to their final game of Group C against the United States on Monday night.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
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