Dazzling Diaz joins a legendary list of European saviours
Colombian winger stepped off the bench to transform his side into an attacking force again and book place in Paris
Luis Diaz began the comeback in the half-time warm-up. With a series of shimmies and sprints, he turned Villarreal from believers to doubters. The home fans were still thinking of the tales they would tell their grandchildren of the evening when they overturned a 2-0 deficit against the quadruple-chasing Liverpool side when Diaz passed his anxious team-mates. It was an inauspicious start to the rescue act as he cut a remote figure during the interval.
Having received the distress signal from Jurgen Klopp, Diaz eased through a 15-minute rehearsal of flicks, first-time passes, stretches and ball juggles before assessing how he would unleash hell on the Villarreal defence. Such is his excellence since arriving from Porto, it was almost as if the momentary imbalance in Klopp’s world was corrected as soon as he was flying down the left wing once more.
It is a fair assumption Diaz has not been fully briefed on the history of Liverpool’s European Cup saviours. He will need the club’s museum’s curator to educate him on how he revived memories of the intervention from the bench of David Fairclough against St Etienne in 1977. Diaz may even be too young to recall Dietmar Hamann hearing the SOS from Rafa Benitez at half-time to change the course of the 2005 Champions League final.
Not unlike the Hamann summons when Liverpool were 3-0 down to AC Milan – for balance – it ought to be said that sending on Diaz was a no-brainer. Indeed, as his side toiled in the first half, lacking their usual intensity and dynamism, Klopp was facing a likely inquest into why Diaz did not start.
In the aftermath of Liverpool’s triumph, Diaz even shed a tear. The sympathy cards may be dispatched to Villarreal’s right-back Juan Foyth.
Foyth and Diaz were involved in a fiery exchange at the conclusion of the first leg, presumably a clash of their Argentine and Colombian sensitivities. Little wonder Diaz made Foyth his prey as he ensured Liverpool would be heading to Paris within 22 minutes of his introduction. Foyth could not withstand the torrent of Diaz attacks, although Unai Emery leaving him sole responsibility to deal with the threat was borderline abusive.
It took like less than a minute for Diaz to announce his arrival, his first touch giving him that admirable ability to consider where he is going to sprint before he has received possession. The dynamism and endeavour his team-mates had lacked before his arrival was evident with that first dash down the touchline, albeit there would be delay before it led to a meaningful chance.
The message was sent to Villarreal. Their party was over. They would be on the back-foot for the rest of the evening.
No matter that Diaz was operating in the area of the pitch most affected by the biblical downpour in the hours before the game. There were times when he looked like he was slaloming through a paddling pool, while Foyth was drowning with every change of direction.
His goal – that which equalised on the night and guaranteed the first 45 minutes need never be spoken of again – showcased his bravery. It sounds disrespectful to suggest Diaz treats his direct opponents with contempt, but there are times they are reduced to holograms. When running at speed, he has no fear of a collision or tackle.
Geronimo Rulli backed off as Diaz headed Liverpool towards Paris in the springtime.
“A special player,” said Andy Robertson, who must be relishing working in tandem with such a talent for the next four years.
Liverpool have a new gamechanger in Diaz. And not just in the 45 minutes which sunk the Yellow Submarine. In four months he has elevated a side 14 points off the pace in the Premier League to one which is now six games from immortality.